Shadowcat: Read or Die!
by shanejayell
Summary: A crossover with the anime Read or Die! Yomiko Readaman contacts Kitty Pryde with startling news...
1. 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from either the X-Men comics series or from the Read or Die anime. This story starts off during the events of Mekanix #1 and sometime after the end of Read Or Die OVA #3. There are spoilers in here if you have not yet seen Read Or Die!  
  
Shadowcat: Read or Die!  
  
Kitty Pryde wiped off the top of the bar at Belles of Hell with a smooth gesture even as she stylishly poured out a drink for the young man who's ID she had just checked. Since the brown haired woman had started her classes at MIT this job in the college town bar was a real life saver, helping give her some much needed financial independence while also getting her out of her head a bit, keeping her connected to a more ordinary kind of people.  
  
Talking with the customers, listening to their problems, the flamboyant bartending, Kitty had been a bit surprised at how easily it all came to her. Though being a former dance major should have given her a hint she could be that sort of performer. 'I wonder what Ororo would think if she saw me know?' she thought to herself with a slight smile.  
  
Looking up as casually as she possibly could Kitty took in the quiet young woman who was wearing glasses and sitting over there in the corner. The black haired lady was still nursing her first drink, looking clearly nervous about something or other as she read from her book. Kitty had felt her watching her more than a few times tonight, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  
  
"It looks like you've gotten yourself an admirer," her slim, dark haired boss Dylan Maguire came up behind her to note with a sly grin.  
  
"Maybe," Kitty blushed faintly before she tentatively asked him, "Do you mind if I clock out early, check it out?"  
  
"Good luck," Dylan clapped her on the back, nearly knocking her over.  
  
"Gee, thanks," Kitty managed.  
  
With a single motion Kitty pulled off her apron and tucked it back behind the bar before reaching into the small fridge there and getting out a bottle of spring water to cool herself off a bit. She drank it down happily, her throat feeling a bit dry from talking so much, then she reached up to wipe off her brow with a towel.  
  
Kitty navigated her way through the dancing crowd, being careful not to bump or knock over any of the partiers who were all around her. 'Glad I've had some practice at it,' she thought. Safely reaching the corner table at last she smiled down at the woman, "Hello."  
  
Clearly startled the black haired woman pushed up her square frame glasses and blurted out in what was clearly her native Japanese, "Oh, hello."  
  
"Is there something I can help you with?" Kitty asked her also in unaccented Japanese. 'Hanging around Logan really pays off,' she thought.  
  
"Sorry," the young woman stood up and switched back to English to introduce herself, "my name is Yomiko Readaman."  
  
"Hello Yomiko," Kitty frowned just slightly, recognizing the name almost instantly. She had been exchanging casual emails with a Japanese school teacher named Yomiko for the last few weeks. 'Could this be her?' she wondered. Getting a handle on her racing thoughts she smiled down at her and said, "My name's Kitty."  
  
"I know," Yomiko looked clearly uncomfortable as she gestured Kitty to the seat opposite her, "I came here to see you."  
  
That remark made Kitty give Yomiko a much more cautious and assessing look. The young lady almost looked like the stereotype of a school teacher, with her brown vest, white shirt and black matching dress and tie. The only thing odd was her general scruffiness, with tuffs of her hair standing up and a look of distraction on her face.  
  
Making her voice sound much harder than normal Kitty said, "You're the one I've been exchanging emails with, aren't you?"  
  
"Hai," Yomiko nodded to Kitty. She hesitated, "Could we talk somewhere a bit more private? It concerns... Shadowcat."  
  
"Lets go outside," Kitty offered Yomiko her hand. She didn't intend to confirm or deny what the lady had just said. 'So all those emails weren't as casual as I thought,' Kitty mused, then, 'I guess I should have worn a mask along with my costume more often.'  
  
They walked along the street silently for a few moments before Yomiko quietly said, "This is why I felt that I had to contact you, and now to come see you." She reached into her coat and Kitty tensed up, relaxing just a bit when she pulled out a simple brown envelope. She popped it open, spilling several pictures out that she handed over to Kitty.  
  
They young woman in the photo's looked eerily familiar to Kitty, despite her feeling sure that she had not met her before. The woman dressed in the tight black leather jumpsuit wielded a machine pistol in one shot, was looking impatiently at the camera in another for some kind of official picture and in the last one...  
  
In the last photo she was phasing through a wall.  
  
"Who..?" Kitty said softly.  
  
"Nancy," Yomiko said softly, "Nancy Mukahari."  
  
Kitty held up the photo's to a nearby street lamp and examined them closely, "If they're fakes, they're near perfect ones."  
  
"They are not faked," Yomiko said to Kitty intensely, "I saw Nancy- san do some of those things right in front of me."  
  
Kitty nodded to herself thoughtfully, realizing that for some reason she believed this young woman. Trusted her, no, especially after those emails, but she did believe what Yomiko was telling her. She also knew why she thought that she recognized Nancy. Except for the hair color and a few other minor details, the two of them were nearly a perfect match.  
  
After a moment Kitty looked over at Yomiko thoughtfully to ask her, "Nancy was some kind of clone, wasn't she?"  
  
"Yes," Yomiko nodded firmly, "the man who claimed he was her creator told me that she was a clone of Mata Hari. But once I found out about the similarity in your powers, and saw the physical resemblance..." She trailed off.  
  
"You want a blood sample, to confirm it?" Kitty asked, hoping that it was that simple, but she rather thought it wouldn't be.  
  
"No," Yomiko shook her head sadly, "Nancy's dead."  
  
Kitty winced slightly. There had been an air of sadness about the girl from the beginning, and now she knew the cause of it. "I'm sorry," she offered.  
  
Yomiko smiled sadly, "I need your help, Kitty-san."  
  
Kitty found herself dreading what she was about to hear, but she just had to ask Yomiko, "Help you with what?"  
  
"I know there's a connection between you and Nancy," Yomiko said softly. "We were... very close, me and Nancy. I have to know what it was, who really created Nancy, both for her and my sake," she explained, "and I need your help to do that."  
  
Yes, she really did not want to hear that. Kitty looked down at the photos again, and thought about what to do. If she bailed out on MIT right now, she didn't know if she could get back in. She was already on probation due to her fight with a bunch of mutant haters, she didn't need any more black marks on her record. But this Nancy... In an odd way, they might be family. This woman with the same powers and a startling resemblance to her, it might very well be her clone.  
  
Kitty looked at the patiently waiting Yomiko. 'She said they were close,' she mused, 'but the way she's acting, she loved her.' When Illyanna had reverted back to childhood, Kitty had felt the need to go see her, to confirm it with her own eyes and when she died Kitty had been there. It looked like Yomiko needed something like that, some kind of closure.  
  
With a soft sigh Kitty said, "I'll do it."  
  
"Thank you," a suddenly beaming Yomiko clasped Kitty's hands in her own. "I've already booked a flight for Japan, we'll take off tonight," she said.  
  
"Tonight?" Kitty went pale, "Wait a minute here! I..."  
  
"We'll buy you some extra sets of clothes when we get there," Yomiko said as she tugged on Kitty's hands to pull her gently forward.  
  
"But I..." Kitty tried, then sighed. "Never mind," she softly muttered as they walked down the street together.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. 2

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Two  
  
Yomiko watched silently as Kitty Pryde weighed her words. She didn't want to say anything more to the younger woman, she already felt that she was imposing on her greatly. When she had first contacted her, began to send Kitty the initial emails, it had all seemed so simple, but now that she was here it became much more complicated.  
  
And it really didn't help how much Kitty reminded Yomiko of her lost Nancy-san. Yes, the girl's hair was a dark brown, not black, and she wore a more casual set of clothes than the leathers that Nancy once wore, but the similarities were almost astounding. The shape of her face, her stance, the overall condition of her body, all of them reminded Yomiko of Nancy, bringing on a deep heartache that almost hurt her physically.  
  
Kitty's soft sigh brought Yomiko's attention right back to her as Kitty said, "I'll do it."  
  
"Thank you," Yomiko almost felt like laughing aloud as she clasped Kitty's hands in her own. "I've already booked a flight for Japan, we'll take off tonight," she said excitedly.  
  
"Tonight?" Kitty went pale as she tried to say, "Wait a minute here! I..."  
  
"We'll buy you some extra sets of clothes when we get there," Yomiko said with a smile as she tugged on Kitty's hands to pull her gently forward.  
  
"But I..." Kitty tried again, then she sighed. "Never mind," she softly muttered as the two of them walked down the street together.  
  
After a few moments of walking Yomiko looked up at Kitty curiously, "I was a bit surprised at how well you speak Japanese. Have you visited the country often?"  
  
Kitty smiled slightly, and Yomiko got the feeling she was greatly understating the case as she softly murmured, "I've had some experiences there." They reached the bar and Kitty sighed, "I need to go inside and take care of some things."  
  
Yomiko took a seat at a table, watching Kitty make her way through the crowd and talk to the young man at the bar. From talking to Kitty on- line Yomiko had developed a certain mental image of her as an intense, studious woman. But seeing her tending bar had revealed a wild side to the woman, another reminder of her lost Nancy.  
  
The young man handed Kitty the phone, and she dialed up someone with a grim expression on her face. Yomiko couldn't have heard the conversation from there if she wanted to, but from the look Kitty had it wasn't going very well. She sat the phone down, giving the man an apologetic look. Before she could leave he murmured something to Kitty, and she blushed.  
  
There was the soft sound of laughter, and a still fiercely blushing Kitty made her way to Yomiko's side. "What did he say, Kitty-san?" Yomiko asked.  
  
Kitty pushed her hair back with a impish smile as she quietly said, "My boss Dylan asked if we were eloping."  
  
Yomiko blushed as she looked up at Kitty and blurted out in Japanese, "What?"  
  
"He didn't really mean it," Kitty gently reassured her, "he likes to tease me about my general lack of dates."  
  
"Oh," Yomiko murmured, still feeling the blush to her cheeks.  
  
"He promised to look after my place while I'm gone," Kitty added.  
  
There was something new in Kitty's eyes, a kind of regret. "Is there something wrong, Kitty-san?" Yomiko asked her softly.  
  
Kitty hesitated, "I had to notify my professor that I'd be gone for awhile." She tried to smile, "He's not sure if he can save my place in his course."  
  
Yomiko's eyes widened, "Because you're going with me?" She felt a sudden pang of guilt, "Kitty-san, I can't.."  
  
"No," Kitty shook her head slightly, "I don't want to talk about it." With a surprising show of strength and gentleness Kitty pulled Yomiko up out of her seat, "Earlier, you said that you had plane tickets for tonight?"  
  
Yomiko saw the determination in those eyes and murmured her agreement, "Hai."  
  
"Then let's go," Kitty said seriously.  
  
Yomiko flagged down a taxi to the airport, and both young women settled into the back. Yomiko watched Kitty gazing out the window and realized the research she had dome was pitifully incomplete. 'What are you thinking?' Yomiko wondered.  
  
With a soft sigh Yomiko abandoned that train of thought, pulled a book out of her bag, opened it to her page and began to read.  
  
Kitty watch the buildings go by them, thinking that it was almost the reverse of how she had come here. Excited about her courses, anxious, even a bit scared she had ridden a taxi from the airport to school and registered. Now she was leaving, and to her surprise she felt excited and eager for what was to come once again.  
  
A little over a month ago she had said some very harsh things to Ororo, making it clear that she wasn't an X-Man any longer. She still meant those words, her father's death having made it clear that being in this life was deadly dangerous. But as much as she had tried to make herself fit in at school, she missed that purpose, that dream.  
  
'It needs doing,' was a little phrase that kept going through Kitty's head. Her ex-boyfriend Pete Wisdom had used that to explain his heroic actions pretty often, but it also described how she had felt when Yomiko had appealed for her help. It was something that needed doing, and it seemed that she was the only one who could do it.  
  
'And there's the question if this Nancy Mukahari really is my clone," Kitty mused.  
  
With a little jerk the taxi came to a stop in front of the main terminal and the driver drawled, "We're here, ladies."  
  
Yomiko kept on reading intently, and with a slight smile Kitty grasped the book by the top , drawing it away from her. Yomiko instinctively tried to follow it for a moment, then she blinked owlishly at Kitty to ask, "Yes?"  
  
"We're at the airport," Kitty smiled.  
  
"Oh, right," Yomiko quickly produced some American dollars from her wallet to pay the driver, tipping him quite generously.  
  
Kitty stepped out first, then helped Yomiko out. "Thanks," she nodded to the driver, then turned to Yomiko, "Where to?"  
  
"We've got a private plane waiting," Yomiko lead her into the terminal.  
  
The two made their way through the crowd to another part of the airport, where a tall, blonde haired man leaned up against a wall. Oddly, he rather reminded Kitty of Logan. Not in his appearance, of course, but in his attitude. It was like he was saying nonverbally, 'I've seen just about everything, and I've made it through all of it.'  
  
"Drake-san," Yomiko waved to him cheerfully.  
  
"Yomiko," he nodded to her crisply. Then Drake looked Kitty up and down before asking Yomiko, "Is this her?"  
  
Not liking being ignored Kitty said waspishly, "Her has a name." She offered the tall man her hand, "Katherine Pryde."  
  
The tall blonde smiled slightly, "Drake Anderson."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson," they shook firmly. Kitty looked up at him curiously, "Are you and Yomiko co-workers?"  
  
"Something like that," Drake agreed as he lead them over to the hangar, "we'll be able to tell you a bit more once we clear it with our superiors."  
  
Kitty felt a stab of irritation at that, but quickly surpressed it. She probably would consult with the school if someone asked about the X- Men, it might be the same sort of thing to them. 'I never did ask Yomiko what Nancy did for a living,' Kitty remembered.  
  
Kitty began to fumble for her passport when Drake remarked, "You won't need that, we've already made the arrangements."  
  
'Interesting,' Kitty mused, 'these people are pretty powerfully connected.' As they climbed aboard the private plane Kitty smiled wryly, 'This is going to be some trip.'  
  
To be continued.. 


	3. 3

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Three  
  
Kitty had to smile slightly as Yomiko beamed at her, "I'll let our pilot know we're aboard, we'll take off almost immediately."  
  
"Got it," Kitty grabbed a seat, smoothly belting herself in. For a moment she remembered piloting the Blackbird, but she quickly surpressed the feeling. This wasn't one of the jets she was used to, and explaining how she was qualified would take far too long.  
  
The plane shook slightly as it taxied down the runway, then the vibration eased off as they rose up into the air. With the casualness that came from long practice Drake made his way up the aisle carrying a thermos and a tea cup. "Knowing Yomiko she hauled you off without giving you a chance to eat," the burly blonde smiled slightly, "would you like some tea?"  
  
"Please," Kitty smiled up at him. He sat the cup down, unscrewed the thermos and the poured it into the cup without spilling a drop. She raised it to her lips, taking a moment to savor the scent, then she hesitated.  
  
"Is something wrong?' Drake asked.  
  
'I know what's in this,' Kitty thought to herself grimly. Making an instant decision she drank it down in one gulp, then held out the cup, "More."  
  
"Wha.." Drake gaped at her.  
  
"One cup isn't going to put me out, Mr. Anderson," Kitty ordered him crisply. He topped up the glass and Kitty quickly drank that one down too.  
  
Yomiko was returning to the cabin as the cup slid from Kitty's nerveless fingers to fall to the floor. "Drake-san," Yomiko cried out worriedly, "What did you..."  
  
Kitty didn't hear the rest, the darkness rising up to engulf her.  
  
Some unknown amount of time passed before Kitty awoke once again. The bitter scent of ammonia dragged her out of pleasant dreams and back to wakefulness. She warily opened up her eyes to find a blond haired man in a tailored suit looking over her worriedly as she lay there on a long couch, in the middle of an old fashioned office.  
  
"It's good to see you awake at last," he smiled, walking over to pick up a antique phone. He pressed a switch, "Wendy? Could you bring in two cups of tea and biscuits for our guest, it would be greatly appreciated."  
  
Kitty sat up a bit uncomfortably, "I assume that your organization was able to check me out while I was still unconscious?"  
  
"Indeed," he nodded. He smiled slightly, "Thank you very much for cooperating with our Mr. Anderson when he drugged you."  
  
"Once I realized he wanted to, it seemed to be the quickest way to get in here and get some answers," Kitty answered him simply. She shook her head, trying to clear out the last cobwebs and asked, "So what should I call you?"  
  
"Joker," he bowed slightly. The door was opened, and a young woman with long, blonde hair came in, carefully carrying in a tray and biscuits. "Thank you," he turned and smiled, "you can set it down on the desk."  
  
"Hai," Wendy smiled happily.  
  
"Could you go get the files on Nancy Mukahari?" Joker asked cheerfully.  
  
"Right," Wendy turned to leave, but as she was stepping out the door her foot caught on a rug and she fell forward with a loud cry, the door thumping shut behind her.  
  
"Is she all right?" Kitty asked, half out of her chair to go help her.  
  
Joker sighed, "She's fine, she does that all the time." He poured out tea for himself, then her as he explained, "We were concerned that you might simply be another clone, part of a second attempt to infiltrate our organization."  
  
Kitty picked up the cup, a single breath confirming that it was clean. "You checked for any genetic drift, one of the sure signs of cloning, right, Joker-san?" she remarked as she took a drink.  
  
"You were clean," an oddly smiling Joker remarked as he took another drink. He hesitated, "I'm curious, how did you know what Drake was doing?"  
  
"The sedative you used was a very good one," Kitty picked up a biscuit and nibbled on it, "but there is a slight scent to it, especially when combined with something hot. You'd have to be pretty well trained to pick it up, though."  
  
"A leftover from your training under 'Ogun," Joker speculated, drinking a bit more of his own tea. He set it down in it's saucer, "I'm glad you're so well trained, we may need your help."  
  
"Wait, you can't go in there," they heard a bit of what sounded like an argument from out in the hallway. The door to the office suddenly burst open, two female figures tumbling to the ground and a pile of papers were sent flying. Kitty jumped up to her feet, Joker right behind her, then they both relaxed once they saw who it was.  
  
Yomiko pulled herself to her feet, awkwardly helping Wendy up, too. "I'm sorry, Joker-san," she nodded to him then she turned to look earnestly up at Kitty, "I'm so sorry, Kitty-san. I had no idea that Drake was going to do that to you!"  
  
Kitty gently put her hand on the anxious young woman's shoulder and smiled, "It's all right, Yomiko. I knew what Drake was doing, and I let him."  
  
Yomiko blinked in surprise, "But why, Kitty-san?"  
  
"Otherwise you would have had to knock me out some other way, or find some method of blindfolding me before you could bring me here, to your headquarters," Kitty said gently. She found herself remembering the lengths the X-Men had once had to go to when keeping the Mansion a secret, and decided she could forgive being drugged.  
  
"You're not angry?" Yomiko asked her anxiously. When Kitty shook her head no Yomiko smiled, her eyes glittering with tears, "I'm so glad!"  
  
"That's so sweet," Wendy sighed to herself happily even as she finished sorting out the large pile of papers once again.  
  
Kitty looked up at Joker curiously, "So can you tell me where we are?" She took a breath and smiled slightly, "Though the scent tells me we're in a library."  
  
Joker smiled slightly, "Are you certain you don't share the abilities of your colleague, Logan? Yes, we're beneath the Tokyo branch of the British Library."  
  
Kitty's eyes widened just slightly, "The Great British Library Special Missions Agency."  
  
All three people in the room looked at her in mild surprise. "You've heard of us?" Yomiko finally managed to ask.  
  
"You mentioned Logan," Kitty nodded to Joker, "he had a run in with one of your agents a few years back in Madripoor, while he was trying to recover a lost book."  
  
"You might want to ask Mr. Anderson about that," Joker smiled slightly.  
  
Kitty chuckled, drinking a bit more of her tea. "I should have guessed," she agreed.  
  
A few moments later Yomiko was sitting at Kitty's side as Joker reviewed the documents. "The genetic matching has come in," he read, "and Kitty has been confirmed as the single donor of genetic material for Nancy Mukahari."  
  
"What?" Kitty blinked in surprise as she sat forward, "but what about the claim that her DNA had come from Mata Hari?"  
  
"The differences between you seem to be mostly cosmetic," Joker noted, "she was likely told that to help keep her under Ujin's control."  
  
"You and Nancy have the same DNA?" Yomiko murmured, the oddest look on her face.  
  
"The record we had on Nancy was mostly fictional," Joker admitted, "but we are aware that she traveled in Europe and Japan before we first encountered her."  
  
"You've already got your people tracing her movements back," Kitty said thoughtfully. Joker nodded as she sipped some tea, "You might want to keep an eye on certain names, like Nathan Essex or Mr. Sinister."  
  
"Sinister-san?" Yomiko echoed.  
  
Kitty smiled slightly at how Yomiko put that. "He's a scientist and geneticist whom the X-men tangled with a few times," she said, "and he's an expert on cloning."  
  
"You think he might have created Nancy and the others?" Joker asked.  
  
"To be honest," Kitty admitted, "no, I don't. It's a little too obvious, in a way. But he's got the technology, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had my DNA, too."  
  
To be continued... 


	4. 4

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Four  
  
"We'll begin our inquiries immediately," Joker went over to his desk. He paused, looking just a bit uncomfortable, "There's something else I wanted to discuss with you."  
  
"Yes?' Kitty raised her eyebrow when he didn't elaborate.  
  
"Nancy Mukahari rebelled to save Yomiko's life," Joker said quietly, "if she had survived she might have been a vital source of information about her creators." He pushed his glasses up, "If you posed as her, it might draw her creator out."  
  
"Won't work," Kitty shook her head firmly. She nodded towards the papers that were spread out on his desk, "According to those files you've already got one Nancy clone in custody, and her creator hasn't made a move."  
  
"How did you," Joker looked at the sheets, then over at Kitty from across the room.  
  
"When Wendy spilled them I took a moment to study them," Kitty shrugged. A flash of a smile, "And I read well upside down, too." Her eyes narrowed as she added seriously, "I would like to meet the Nancy clone, though."  
  
"Why?" Yomiko looked over at Kitty in surprise, "she lost her memories."  
  
"She's our only direct lead to whomever created the clones," Kitty shrugged, "so checking her out seems to be a good first step to take." With a surprised look Kitty stifled a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry," she blushed.  
  
"No, I'm sorry," Joker looked apologetic, "the sedative you were given doesn't generate a terribly restive sleep. Your body likely still needs to rest, I'll arrange for a hotel..."  
  
"Excuse me?" Yomiko smiled slightly, raising her hand, "I have an idea."  
  
A half hour later and a trip across Tokyo at dusk and Kitty was following Yomiko up a stairway, blinking in astonishment at the books that lined the stairs, tucked into every nook and cranny. Her eyes widened even more if possible when they stepped into the central living quarters, each and every surface including the bed buried under piles of books. And oddly all around the room were little post-it notes, with various instructions written on them.  
  
"Ah..." still blinking in surprise Kitty looked around her, "are you sure that it won't be any trouble putting me up for the night?"  
  
Yomiko beamed, "Of course not."  
  
The two began moving some of the stacks of books onto other stacks, soon revealing a slightly battered but still serviceable looking couch. Kitty gave it an assessing glance and decided that it was going to be long enough for her to lay on, thankfully. She sat down and had to smile slightly as the scent of books washed over her.  
  
Kitty looked up and saw that Yomiko was giving her the oddest look. "Is there something wrong?" Kitty asked softly.  
  
"No, no," Yomiko's cheeks went red. She smiled a bit sadly, "I was just thinking that I never had the chance to bring Nancy here." She shook her head firmly, "Never mind." With a little smile she made her way through the maze of books, "I'll go get you a blanket and a T-shirt to sleep in."  
  
"Thank you," Kitty blinked.  
  
After preparing Kitty for bed Yomiko settled down on her little bed. Taking her long overcoat off, turning on a little bedside lamp and happily reading. She didn't even clear off any of the books that were laying on the bed, just snuggled down in the middle of the paperbacks with a happy sigh.  
  
'These,' Kitty looked over at Yomiko with a smile as she lay down on the couch, 'are not normal people. Then again, neither am I.' There was a small lump under the cushion her head rested on, so she felt around underneath it a moment. She looked at the slim paperback she pulled out with a sigh, then she settled down to sleep.  
  
Kitty came awake almost instantly, feeling the intense gaze on her back. The sun was coming in through the window, Yomiko soundly sleeping while clutching a book in her arms. Standing beside the couch a young woman with long light brown hair was almost glaring down at her, dressed in a traditional schoolgirl's uniform.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she crossly asked in Japanese.  
  
Kitty blinked up at her, then gestured her to silence. Making sure her T-shirt covered all the essentials she looked around for a way out. Thankfully the girl caught on, leading her to a door that led out onto the roof.  
  
"Who are you," the girl scowled at Kitty, "and what are you doing with my Yomiko?"  
  
'Your Yomiko?' Kitty echoed her mentally. Quickly assuming that she didn't know about Yomiko's secrets she answered crisply, "My name is Kitty Pryde, and I'm an American exchange student. When sensei," she nodded towards where Yomiko was still sleeping away, "found out I needed a place to stay for a few days, she offered me her couch."  
  
The girl didn't look any happier to see her, but she seemed to accept the story. "Nenene Sumiregawa," she introduced herself crisply.  
  
Kitty looked over at her in surprise, "The author?" At Nenene's slight nod she smiled, "I just finished your latest book."  
  
A flash of a smile as Nenene answered, "Thanks."  
  
Kitty hesitated a moment, looking at the girl, "Do you know anything about someone named Nancy? Yomiko mentioned that I looked like her."  
  
Nenene scowled, her expression far nastier than the one she used before. "I don't know much," she growled, "just that she broke Yomiko's heart. I visited her after Yomiko was gone a few days and she was a mess..."  
  
"I'm sorry," Kitty offered, seeing how much Nenene seemed to care for Yomiko. Thinking of the young woman sleeping away nearby she wouldn't be too surprised if Yomiko was completely unaware of the girl's feelings.  
  
"W'as goin' on?" Yomiko looked cutely befuddled, standing there in the open door, still wearing the clothes from the night before. Her eyes were still cloudy with sleep, tuffs of her hair standing up on her head, and still absentmindedly clutching a book.  
  
"Yomiko," Nenene walked over to grab the woman's arm, "c'mon." As they walked in together Kitty smiled as she head Nenene quietly grilling Yomiko about her.  
  
"Guess that's where all those little notes came from," Kitty mused, thinking of the post-it notes that were all over the room. She could quite easily see Nenene doing that for Yomiko.  
  
A few moments Yomiko emerged, dressed in fresh but similar looking clothes, her hair back in some kind of order and looking reasonably wakeful. "Nenene tells me you two had a nice talk," she beamed happily.  
  
Kitty had to fight another smile. 'A talk?' she thought with a certain amount of amusement. "Yeah, we did," Kitty agreed. She tugged a bit self-consciously at the long T-shirt that was the only thing she was wearing, "You two mind if I go get dressed?"  
  
"Right," Nenene dragged the slightly slow Yomiko aside as Kitty pushed on by them into the rooftop apartment.  
  
Kitty pulled the jeans and T-shirt from last night back on, feeling just a bit relieved that she hadn't had to sleep in them. She took a cautious sniff of her shirt, 'Good, I'm not too fragrant just yet. Remind me to go buy some changes of clothes.'  
  
Yomiko came inside once Kitty had finished changing to smile at her tentatively, "Joker instructed me to take you shopping for some clothes." She hesitated, "Would you mind if Nenene came along with us?"  
  
Kitty smiled wryly, "No problem."  
  
"Thanks," Yomiko smiled.  
  
When they walked out together Kitty held the door for Yomiko, a simple reflexive gesture, but then she saw the glare that Nenene was giving her. 'Shit,' Kitty realized what the jeans and T-shirt she was wearing made her look mildly butch. 'She probably thinks I'm stepping in where Nancy left off,' she thought, giving Nenene an apologetic smile.  
  
Completely ignoring the look Nenene growled, "Let's go."  
  
'It's going to be a long morning,' Kitty thought with a sigh as she followed Yomiko and Nenene over to the stairway downstairs.  
  
To be continued... 


	5. 5

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Five  
  
Kitty had to admit she was feeling just a bit relieved when Nenene had to leave them to go back to work on her writing. Not that she disliked the younger girl, but her almost instinctive jealousy of Kitty did get a bit tiring. She dropped off the bags of clothes at Yomiko's place, changed into fresh underwear, a shirt, and jeans and then the two of them headed over to the library.  
  
"Nenene really likes you, doesn't she?" Kitty remarked as they walked together.  
  
Yomiko beamed, her long brown hair flowing around her as the light caught on her glasses, "I hope so, I admire sensei a great deal." Behind her she dragged her usual suitcase on a cart, the long trenchcoat she wore ruffled by the breeze.  
  
"Sensei?" Kitty raised an eyebrow, pushing her shorter brown hair back, "I would have thought she'd be calling you that, teacher."  
  
"Oh, no," Yomiko shook her head, eyes wide, "I've learned so much from her books!"  
  
'Maybe,' Kitty thought to herself as they neared the library building itself, 'but you don't seem to see how Nenene feels about you.' She had watched the woman and the younger girl together, and Nenene's feelings were crystal clear to Kitty. She cared for Yomiko, watched out for her, and maybe even was in love with her.  
  
"Kitty-san?" Yomiko looked over at her curiously, "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Kitty smiled wryly.  
  
The two of them went into the library itself, moving through the stacks towards a raised central set of tables. Yomiko looked around all starry-eyed at all the books for a moment, but shook herself to focus on the task at hand. She took hold of a pen on a stand, shifting the stick over in a set of motions to activate a concealed elevator.  
  
As they dropped down into the Tokyo base of the Great British Library Special Missions Agency, Kitty took a moment to gaze around her in awe. The massive library hidden beneath the public one was as large or larger than X- Men's underground headquarters, extending out beneath buildings on either side of the surface library. Bookcases stretched off into the distance, some of them being moved on lifts and pulleys into different positions. And all around them people worked, filing, sorting, and studying the rare books.  
  
"Ah," Yomiko sighed to herself happily, unconsciously moving to follow a bookcase rolling by them. Kitty reached out to grab her by the collar, and Yomiko blushed as she came to her senses, "Thanks, Kitty-san."  
  
"No problem," Kitty smiled back wryly. She looked over at Yomiko curiously and asked, "So why are we here today?"  
  
"Oh, Wendy called," Yomiko beamed, "we're going to get you fitted with a new uniform." She looked around her, then called out, "Wendy-san? Wendy?"  
  
"Sorry I'm late," the blonde haired young woman came around a set of bookcases, nearly running into them. She skidded to a stop, Kitty reaching out reflexedly to help steady her. "Thank you," Wendy smiled, pushing her hair out of her face.  
  
"You all right?' Kitty asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Wendy looked a bit frazzled, "Yomiko, Joker asked to see you, too."  
  
"I'll go see him right now," Yomiko trotted off towards a stairway, "Wendy, can you help Kitty out with her uniform?"  
  
"Hai," Wendy waved as Yomiko left. She turned back to Kitty with a slight smile, "I'll take you over to the technical division, Miss Pryde."  
  
"Lead the way," Kitty nodded to the young lady in a woman's suit, "and you can just call me Kitty if you like."  
  
"Thank you," the little blonde looked a bit nervous as they walked along the hallway. Wendy cleared her throat, "Yomiko's told you about Nancy, right?" Kitty nodded, and Wendy continued on, "I know that it's not your fault, but you do bear a startling resemblance to her. Please be careful not to take advantage of that."  
  
Kitty sighed softly, "I'll try."  
  
"That's all we can ask," Wendy's voice was gentle as they entered another room. A pile of clothes lay on a table there, all of them pure black. She picked up the pile and handed it over to Kitty, "The clothes were made with unstable molecules so that they will phase like you do, without you having to use your powers intentionally on them."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty took the cloth in her hands, then looked around. "Is there somewhere private I can change clothes?"  
  
Wendy walked over and opened up a door in the far wall, revealing a small change room. "Here you go," she smiled.  
  
"Thanks," Kitty stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She stripped off her clothes then pulled on the new ones, smoothing the dark material down with a hand. She opened the door, giving Wendy a wry smile, "Well, it fits but it's a bit too fetish for me."  
  
"Wow," Wendy gulped.  
  
Kitty's new costume could be best described as a black leather sheath. The synthetic leather clung to every curve, the pants tucked into leather boots. The top was zippered down just to the base of her throat, the tightness making clear that she wasn't wearing a bra. The pants, on the other hand, made it clear she was wearing panties.  
  
"Well, at least I can move around," Kitty stretched out a bit. She threw a few high kicks, feeling a bit of relief that the pants didn't just split wide open. "Not bad," she conceded, "but I think I'll only wear this when out on a mission."  
  
"I'm going to have a little talk with whoever designed it," Wendy promised, a blush to her cheeks as Kitty went back inside to change back.  
  
"Well, it isn't all that different from some of my old X-Men costumes," Kitty called out from the change-room, "its just a bit... tighter."  
  
"You've being kind," Wendy remarked. Kitty came out of the changeroom back in shirt and pants, carrying the uniform under her arm. A slightly impish smile, "I do wonder what the reactions would be if you walked through the base in that."  
  
Kitty made a face at that, but otherwise didn't answer. They made their way back into the central part of the library, then they headed up the stairway Kitty had seen Yomiko take earlier. "We're going to see Joker?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Something like that," Wendy agreed. She knocked on the door, there was a muffled reply, and they went on in.  
  
Joker was standing beside Yomiko in front of a desk, behind it an old man sitting. Joker smiled slightly, "Mr. Gentleman, I'd like you to meet Katherine Pryde."  
  
"So this is Miss Pryde," the man stroked at a long gray beard. Mr. Gentleman's one eye sparkled with intelligence, the other hidden behind an eye-patch.  
  
"Sir," Kitty nodded slightly, unsure what else to say.  
  
"The resemblance really is uncanny," Mr. Gentleman murmured softly. He smiled, "I wanted to personally thank you for offering your aide to Yomiko."  
  
"It was nothing," Kitty said quietly.  
  
"Not so," he corrected her, "I'm aware of the difficulties this has caused with your schooling." Mr. Gentleman took a drink of his tea, "I have some influence, even with MIT. You will be allowed to return to your classes when we're done here."  
  
Kitty blinked in surprise, even as Yomiko gushed, "Thank you, sir!"  
  
"I've discussed your plan to visit the surviving Nancy clone," Joker said smoothly into the momentary silence, "and Mr. Gentleman agrees."  
  
"It does seem to be the place to begin," the old man agreed. A slight smile appeared on Mr. Gentleman's face, "You think like a detective, Miss Pryde."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty said, just a bit unnerved by the old man. She smiled slightly, "And it's Kitty."  
  
"Kitty," Mr. Gentleman nodded. He looked over at Joker, "I believe this should be a full operation of the Great British Library Special Missions Agency, with all agents they require."  
  
"It will be done," Joker agreed.  
  
To be continued  
  
Author's Note: Unstable molecules are a Marvel Comics universe invention. Clothes that are made from them are able to adapt to the superpowers of the wearer, so that if Kitty phases, they also phase along with her. 


	6. 6

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Six  
  
The little yellow car bumped it's way along the road, moving through the green hills towards the coast. Yomiko Readman was behind the wheel, the dark haired teacher humming to herself softly while she drived. Kitty Pryde sat in the passenger side, her short brown hair blown back by the gentle breeze from the open window.  
  
"Thanks for driving me out here," Kitty said quietly.  
  
"It's all right," Yomiko gave her a smile, "I try to visit Nancy's sister whenever I can."  
  
"My sister, too," Kitty mused. They were going to visit the surviving clone of the woman called Nancy, a person created by using samples of Kitty's own DNA. It was all just a bit unnerving, especially considering they had no idea where the clones had originally came from.  
  
Anticipating Kitty's next question Yomiko explained, "Nancy's last request was that I take care of her little sister."  
  
"Ah," was Kitty's quiet answer. They pulled in to a concealed lane, driving up to a little private clinic. Getting out Kitty paused, stretching nervously in her jeans and T-shirt.  
  
Yomiko got out her suitcase and cart, pulling it behind her as her long overcoat rustled in the breeze. They fell into step going up to the building, and Yomiko gave Kitty a worried look. "Are you all right?" she asked the young lady.  
  
"I'll manage," Kitty answered as they reached the door.  
  
"Ms. Readman," the blonde attendant who answered the door gave a smile, then she looked over at Kitty, "Miss Pryde, we were notified of your arrival."  
  
Yomiko presented her ID even as she quietly asked her, "How is she?"  
  
"Nancy is out in the garden," the attendant explained.  
  
Kitty nodded slightly. They went through the building together, then out along a path to where a purple haired girl sat on one of the benches. She was dressed in a medical style gown, and over on one side of the bench were sheets of colored paper.  
  
"Yomiko," Nancy beamed as she saw them coming up the path.  
  
Kitty was sort of in behind her, and once they got close she waved Kitty forward. "Nancy, I'd like you to meet Kitty," Yomiko smiled.  
  
"Hi," Kitty said softly, meeting her clone's eyes.  
  
Nancy froze, the girl stiffening on the bench. Eyes strangely blank she vaulted over the back of the bench, shoving Yomiko aside as she went right for Kitty, her hand stiffened to strike.  
  
"Oof!" Yomiko hit the ground with a gasp.  
  
"Stay down," Kitty barked at Yomiko as turned the blow aside with a single gesture, then ducking the follow-up kick almost instinctively. The two of them sparred back and forth across the green grass, Nancy pressing her hard, Kitty defending cautiously.  
  
"Don't hurt her!" Yomiko blurted.  
  
Kitty met the purple haired girl's eyes, seeing an odd blankness in them. 'She isn't doing this of her own free will,' she realized, catching a fist in her hand. Nancy tried to phase, but Kitty kept up with her and forced the girl to the ground.  
  
Nancy gave a noiseless growl, grimacing up at Kitty as she struggled in her grip, but she couldn't get free. Slowly the fire in the girl's eyes faded, her struggles easing before she finally went limp. Blinking up at her captor in confusion she managed, "Kitty-san?"  
  
Kitty helped her up, keeping a firm grip on the slightly younger woman. "Are you all right?" she asked her softly.  
  
"Hai." Nancy looked at her in pure bewilderment.  
  
"Thanks," Yomiko blushed slightly as both of then helped her up. After straightening up her clothes she demanded worriedly, "What just happened?"  
  
Kitty gently helped Nancy down to a seat, then nodding for Yomiko to sit down there, too. "It looks like Nancy was programmed to go after me like that," Kitty quietly explained, "probably without her even being aware of it."  
  
"But why?" Nancy blinked.  
  
Kitty gave her a slight smile, looking down at the girl who looked so very much like her. "Because of our resemblance," she explained, "it tells the story." Yomiko nodded slightly, the two women looking like mirror images as Kitty continued, "If someone wanted to keep Nancy's origins a secret, they had to make sure we didn't meet."  
  
"Big sister?" Nancy asked Kitty hopefully.  
  
"Eh?" Kitty blinked.  
  
A bit of a blush appeared on Yomiko's cheeks, "I told her about her big sister, not much, just that she was a hero."  
  
Kitty looked at the hopeful girl sitting beside her and smiled slightly as she agreed, "Yeah, I guess I am your big sister."  
  
"Nancy," Yomiko said softly, "do you remember where you came from?"  
  
With a little frown Nancy concentrated, looking oddly childlike sitting there. "I'm.. not sure," she finally admitted. "It's all blurry and confused."  
  
"Are there any people there?" Kitty asked softly. Nancy nodded slightly, and Kitty reached over for the sheets of paper, "Do you think you could draw them?"  
  
Yomiko's eyes widened as she murmured, "I never tried that before..."  
  
"I'll try," Nancy smiled nervously. She took the pencil, scrapping it across the page as she tried to harness blurry memories into solid images. In a moment a smiling man's face appeared, a face that was oddly frightening. On his forehead, there was an odd triangle emblem.  
  
"Sinister," Kitty narrowed her eyes, "I was almost hoping it wasn't."  
  
The pencil began to move again, another image. The girl's hand began to shake slightly as she worked, as if the image she was creating frightened her, somehow. A final line then she all but thrust the sheets at Kitty and cried, "Here!"  
  
"What?" Yomiko blinked at the drawing.  
  
The Japanese demon mask was startlingly familiar to Kitty, so much so that she nearly dropped the paper. "'Ogun," Kitty said softly, slumping down beside Nancy.  
  
"Who is 'Ogun?" Yomiko demanded, looking at both women in confusion.  
  
"A martial artist and psychic," Kitty clenched her hand, crushing the image, "who forced me to become his apprentice. He would have raped my mind, if I hadn't been rescued by a friend."  
  
Nancy simply whimpered softly, the smaller girl curling up into a little ball. Yomiko looked down at her, putting her hand on Nancy's shoulder. "Lets talk about this later," she said to Kitty softly, trying to calm Nancy down.  
  
The girl was so shaken that they finally had to sedate her, the staff of the hospital putting her to bed. "Please try not to strain her so much," the blonde attendant scolded them fiercely, "it isn't good for her recovery."  
  
"Sorry," Kitty said wryly as they left. They both climbed into the car, pausing to look at each other. "Sinister and 'Ogun may have been involved in all this," she sighed, "it could be a trick."  
  
"Eh?" Yomiko looked confused.  
  
"It's not that hard to create false memories, a friend of mine had some problems because of that," Kitty sighed. Gravely she continued, "But for now, we assume that it's true."  
  
Yomiko looked over at Kitty worriedly and asked, "But if that's so, then why would they want to clone you?"  
  
Kitty made a face, "When we last met I found out 'Ogun wanted to possess me, more or less. It could be he wanted a clone of me for the same reason."  
  
"And the other Great Ones?" Yomiko asked.  
  
"It could be that was unrelated to Nancy," Kitty rubbed her face tiredly, "Sinister and 'Ogun taking advantage of someone else's project to create her."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Yomiko asked.  
  
"Head back to base," Kitty shrugged, "and hope that Joker and his people have had some luck in chasing down the original Nancy's movements. And we'll add 'Ogun's name to their list of people to look our for, too."  
  
"Then lets go," Yomiko started up the car and they headed out onto the roads again.  
  
To be continued.. 


	7. 7

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Seven  
  
"Sadly," Joker noted as he picked up some papers from his desk, "we've only been able to assemble a minimal file on this 'Ogun." The blonde haired man looked irritated at this, but in an elegant, sort of British way.  
  
Kitty blinked, and then the brown haired woman smiled, "I'm surprised you have a file on him at all, honestly."  
  
They had returned to the Library along with Nancy's sketches, passing them on to the Great British Library's intelligence analysts to go over. Now they all sat in Joker's office within the sprawling complex, waiting for Wendy to arrive with the tea.  
  
"That fight you had with Nancy sounds remarkable," Wendy noted as she came inside with the fully loaded tea tray. Kitty jumped up to help, the two quickly getting everybody served. "Thank you," the blonde smiled.  
  
"No problem," Kitty said before she sat back down, taking a drink of her tea. 'You know, I could get used to this,' she noted.  
  
"Kitty was incredible," Yomiko beamed at Wendy. "She subdued Nancy so easily, it was remarkable," the black haired teacher gushed, little circles of red on her cheeks.  
  
Kitty blushed, "I doubt that Nancy was going all out, so don't praise me too far." She looked over at Joker, "I don't know much about 'Ogun either, but here goes." She took a drink, "According to Logan, 'Ogun is an old-fashioned ninja, possessed of incredible skills. Logan trained under him more than twenty years ago, and when we met again he hadn't aged."  
  
"In your report," Joker said as he looked over at her thoughtfully from his seat behind the cluttered desk, "you mentioned something about him raping your mind?"  
  
Kitty nodded to him grimly, "He took me captive, then 'Ogun was able to... reshape my mind and personality, by the time he was done 'Ogun had taken a girl with a bit of self-defense training and turned her to a deadly ninja."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Yomiko said gently as she reached out to put her hand on Kitty's arm, "those weeks must have been terrible."  
  
"It didn't take weeks," Kitty sighed, "only a few days. The only way my friends were able to stop me was taking me by surprise, and it took months before I fully recovered."  
  
"This 'Ogun is a formidable foe," Joker quietly agreed. He sorted through the file on 'Ogun and read, "From the data we gathered he has been active as an assassin for decades, taking on jobs purely for the challenge." He paused, taking a drink of his own tea before adding, "But we were under the impression he was dead."  
  
"He is," Kitty said gravely, "it just hasn't slowed him down much. He first manifested as a spirit in New York, battling Logan there, and he's tried to go after me as well."  
  
"A ghost?" Yomiko squeaked.  
  
"One looking for a body, one assumes," Joker mused. "Probably why he allied himself with this Mr. Sinister, to create one."  
  
"So we've got two suspects," Kitty mused, "and a possible motive. What we need to do know is to find out the opportunity."  
  
"Thinking like a detective indeed," Joker agreed. "We need to find where, now that we know who and probably why."  
  
"We're trying to trace back the movements of the original Nancy," Wendy spoke up, "but it's still pretty slow going. When she created her false history she was very thorough, and it's taking time to determine where she really was and where she merely claimed she visited."  
  
"Joker-san," Yomiko said tentatively, "is there anything else that Kitty and I can do today? I really need to get back to my apartment and change."  
  
"It should be fine," Joker smiled. He looked over at Kitty, "Miss Pryde would you like to go with Yomiko or stick around here?"  
  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go out and stretch my legs," Kitty admitted. "I haven't visited Tokyo in a while, and it's a lovely city."  
  
"Of course," Joker nodded, "Wendy will lead you up and out."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty got up, and then paused to look at Yomiko. "Go see Nenene," she offered, "she'd probably like to see you."  
  
Yomiko looked just a bit perplexed as Kitty left the room following Wendy, but she still cheerfully said, "Sure."  
  
Wendy led Kitty to an elevator, and they swiftly rose through the Library complex. The hidden access put them in the ordinary library on street level, where Kitty and Wendy parted ways. "How long do you think you'll be gone?" Wendy asked.  
  
"A few hours, probably," Kitty mused. "I want to check out a few old haunts, that sort of thing," she explained.  
  
"See you then," Wendy beamed before heading back inside the building.  
  
Kitty headed off down the crowded Tokyo street, taking a deep breath of fresh air. The library was nice, but the scent of all those books could get a little bit oppressive at times. She walked on, the sun shining down, and knew she was being followed. She walked on casually, not indicating any awareness of her tail, and then ducked around a blind corner.  
  
It only took a few minutes for the tall, blonde haired man to come around the corner. Kitty smiled to herself, he rather reminded her of Logan. It wasn't his appearance, of course, but something in his attitude. It was like he was saying nonverbally, 'I've seen just about everything, and I've made it through all of it alive.'  
  
"Hello, Mr. Anderson," Kitty said dryly, "you tailing me?"  
  
Drake Anderson actually smiled, taking his cap off and running a hand through his rough blonde hair. "Not exactly," he smiled, "I'm you're bodyguard."  
  
"Bodyguard?" Kitty repeated in surprise.  
  
"You're good," Drake hurried to say, "in fact you're better than I though, spotting me that quickly. But we want to make sure nothing unexpected happens."  
  
Kitty looked over at him thoughtfully. "I guess if I try to ditch you, you'll get in trouble with Joker?" she asked him pleasantly.  
  
"Something like that," Drake agreed. He tilted his head to the side, "And since we don't know the scope of the enemy's plan, wouldn't you rather have back-up?"  
  
Kitty made a face, "A good point. All right, you can tag along if you want."  
  
"Thank you," Drake gave her a smile as they fell into step together. They probably made an interesting looking pair, the burly blonde haired man and the slim American woman walking along the crowded street together.  
  
"So how long have you and Yomiko known each other?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Years, literally," Drake shrugged. "Yomiko started doing book authentications, and then became the Paper after the death of the last one. She's a hell of an agent and a good friend." He tossed her a sudden smile, "Just don't tell her I said that."  
  
"Let me guess," Kitty smiled slightly, "you're usually working with her, and have to be the one to get her going forward, by force if necessary?"  
  
"Pretty much," Drake agreed.  
  
Kitty chuckled softly, "One of these days I'm going to have to introduce you to Logan, you'll either become best friends or try to kill each other."  
  
"You think we're that alike?" Drake asked.  
  
"You have no idea," Kitty said. They walked on silently for a few minutes before she asked, "Do you think Yomiko was in love with Nancy?"  
  
"I saw them together, working and playing," Drake said after a moment of silence, "yeah, I think Yomiko loved Nancy."  
  
"And Nancy?" Kitty asked curiously.  
  
"That's harder to say," Drake admitted. "I think Nancy cared for Yomiko, so much so that she plead for Yomiko's life, but I don't know about love."  
  
"I think she did," Kitty said softly, the oddest look on her face. She tilted her head back, "I trusted Yomiko as soon as I met her, and I bet Nancy did, too."  
  
Drake laughed suddenly, "That's true. Did Yomiko ever tell you about the giant paper airplane incident?"  
  
"Giant paper airplane?" Kitty echoed.  
  
Drake grinned, "It sort of happened like this..."  
  
To be continued... 


	8. 8

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part eight  
  
"You're saying," Kitty looked up at Drake Anderson disbelievingly as the brown haired girl said, "that Yomiko assembled a giant paper airplane, got Nancy to climb on with her, and then you threw them off of the top of a building?!"  
  
"Yep," Drake smiled slightly. The blonde haired man tilted his head to the side, "But she forgot to add the tail, so they dropped like a brick."  
  
Kitty shook her head with a smile, "Remind me not to underestimate Yomiko."  
  
"I stopped doing that a while back," Drake agreed.  
  
They walked on together quietly for a few moments before Kitty quietly said, "You noticed the tail we picked up?"  
  
Drake nodded slightly, looking forward as they moved. "Yeah, I did," he confirmed. "You want to lose him, or...?" he asked.  
  
"He's maintaining his distance for now," Kitty mused, "losing him would just tip him off we spotted him." She caught another look at the odd figure shadowing them, "You recognize him as an member of the Ijin?"  
  
"Not one we ran into before," Drake said as they approached a crowded marketplace. Gentlemanly he used his body to shield Kitty from the press of the crowd, taking advantage of the position to look behind them.  
  
"Want to try and grab him?" Kitty suggested, maneuvering them through the crowd.  
  
"We should be calling up Joker," Drake said while keeping his voice low, "let him get a tactical squad here to contain him properly."  
  
"By which time he might be gone," Kitty countered. Intensely she said, "If we want to do this, we have to seize the opportunity."  
  
Drake gave her a look, "You're pretty good at convincing people, too." He smiled slightly, "All right, let's do this. How do you want to do it?"  
  
"Same sort of strategy I pulled on you," Kitty smiled. They timed it carefully, using the mob to cover their movement before ducking around the corner. "Ready?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Oh yes," Drake grinned.  
  
There was a disturbance out in the crowd, and they heard the sound of someone forcing themselves forward. He came around the corner, the brown clad figure's eyes widening as he gazed at the two of them in honest surprise. He turned to run away but Drake reached out to grab him by the collar, Kitty swiftly moving to block his path.  
  
"I really don't like being followed," Kitty smiled dangerously, "especially by strangers. Who are you, and what do you want?"  
  
"It's been along time, Pryde," he smiled slightly, his face looking oddly gaunt. He looked over at Drake, "You have a new protector, it seems. Is he as capable as Logan was?"  
  
Kitty recognized the sound of his voice, even if the body was different. "It has been awhile, 'Ogun," Kitty agreed seriously, her body deceptively relaxed.  
  
He moved like a snake, striking out with speed and agility towards Kitty's head. Her forearm blocked the strike and she kicked up, nearly clipping him across the brow. Back and forth they sparred, getting the measure of each other. Drake watched in awe, hands twitching as he looked for a moment to jump in, but there was none.  
  
'Ogun stepped back, a little smile teasing his lips. "You are as good as you once were, maybe better," he admitted. He met Kitty's eyes and asked, "Would you reconsider? Give yourself to me and you will know immortality."  
  
"Not interested," Kitty kept her guard up, watching him warily. "I'm quite happy with what I have, thank you."  
  
"Fair enough," he executed a little half bow in respect. 'Ogun frowned as he said, "This shell isn't enough for me to defeat you, but soon the perfect body will be ready for me."  
  
"Not if we can help it," Drake vowed, his pistol in hand.  
  
'Ogun looked over at Drake coldly, "Then I look forward to testing your mettle, giant, but for now.. I bid you farewell."  
  
"What.." Kitty started to say, then stepped back in surprise.  
  
The thin figure's clothes began to emit black smoke, then in a second simply exploded into flames. The heat soared upwards, 'Ogun still smiling at them calmly as his flesh and blood was quickly consumed. The flames died down in only a few moments, ash and dust swirling where he had stood, no other trace remaining.  
  
"Damn," Kitty muttered softly, the sweat pouring down her face.  
  
Drake had his cellphone in his hands, dialing up quickly. "Wendy? Put me through to Joker, we've got a situation here."  
  
Kitty walked forward carefully, the heat dying down as she knelt by the ashes. She was careful not to touch anything, sniffing the air thoughtfully. "No chemical accelerant, I think, " Kitty said to herself thoughtfully.  
  
"Joker, we've had a run in with an Ijin, I think," Drake reported behind her. "He fought like a martial artist, Kitty identified him as 'Ogun." He paused before reluctantly adding, "We attempted a capture, but he destroyed himself."  
  
As Kitty rose to her feet she said, "Have him get a recovery team out here fast, we need the ashes examined."  
  
"You got that?" Drake asked with a wry smile, "Good. Anderson, signing off." As he put the phone away he looked at Kitty, "No chemical accelerant? Then how did he burn up so fast?"  
  
"We won't know for certain until we get the remains examined," Kitty said as she looked down at the ashes thoughtfully, "but I think it was done biologically."  
  
Drake made a face, "We did run into an Ijin with electrical powers, there's no reason to think they couldn't do fire."  
  
Unmarked vehicles began to arrive, releasing Library staff as Kitty cautioned him, "Remember, it's just a theory. We need to test the remains to be sure."  
  
"I'd bet you're right," Drake said seriously.  
  
"Kitty-san!" Before either of them could say anything else she was nearly knocked right over by a flying hug. "Are you all right?" Yomiko demanded. She began to hurriedly look Kitty over, "That thing didn't hurt you, did it?"  
  
"I'm fine," Kitty smiled, grabbing Yomiko before she fell down. "How did you..."  
  
"Joker called me when he heard you were in trouble," Yomiko said as techs quickly collected the ashes, scanning the area with their equipment.  
  
"I'm fine, too," Drake said dryly.  
  
Yomiko looked at him in surprise, the black haired woman blinking up at him owlishly through her glasses. "Oh, Drake-san! What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
Kitty did her best not to laugh, turning to look at the leaving techs. "Make sure you do a chemical analysis along with genetic tests," she reminded them.  
  
"Right, right," the techs called as they disappeared into their vehicles.  
  
"Do you think it was something 'Ogun triggered," Drake asked Kitty seriously, "or was it somehow set like a timer?"  
  
"If it was on a timer," Kitty mused, "it makes me wonder about the relationship between 'Ogun and Sinister. They wouldn't be equals, probably, but employee and employer."  
  
"Is that good or bad?" Yomiko blinked.  
  
"I'm not quite sure yet," Kitty admitted. She shook her head, "Lets hope that analysis of the remains gives us some clues..."  
  
"Whatever," Drake frowned, "I don't think I like this 'Ogun very much. You need help taking him down, I'm there."  
  
"I might just take you up on that," Kitty said seriously.  
  
To be continued... 


	9. 9

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Nine  
  
"Kitty-san," Yomiko looked up from her book for a moment, the black hair flowing down her back, "stop pacing."  
  
"Sorry," Kitty flopped down onto the couch beside Yomiko, pushing her short brown hair back. "I just hate waiting," she added.  
  
"Perfectly understandable," Joker noted, the tall blonde haired man striding into the waiting room. He looked elegant in his suit, a slight smile on his face. Before Kitty could ask he held up a hand, "No results yet."  
  
"I'm sorry we didn't wait for backup," Kitty quietly admitted, "we might have captured him before he burned himself."  
  
"Maybe," Joker shrugged slightly, "maybe not. I talked to Mr. Anderson," he said, "he was quite impressed with you skills."  
  
"Held my own, anyway," Kitty said with a frown.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yomiko asked quietly.  
  
"It was almost... too easy," Kitty said thoughtfully. "If that was 'Ogun he was good, but not as dangerous as I remember."  
  
"Tea?" a woman's voice called out as the door opened again, a blonde haired young lady holding a tray in her hands.  
  
"Thank you, Wendy," Joker cleared some books from the coffee table.  
  
Wendy set out the tray, moving the snacks to one side, the coffee pot, cream and sugar. "Mr. Gentleman has been looking into 'Ogun," she said as she worked, "but nothing yet."  
  
"Most unusual," Joker took a sip of his tea, smiling as he found it just the way he liked it, "if Mr. Gentleman is having difficulty, it must be quite the puzzle."  
  
Kitty yawned suddenly, and Yomiko looked over at her in alarm. "I'm sorry, Kitty-san," she said, "it's been a long day for you...."  
  
"It's okay," Kitty bent forward to make herself some tea, "I just need some fuel, I guess." She stacked some treats on a little plate and sat back, munching on the cookies.  
  
The door to the room thumped open, startling Wendy, and the burly Drake Anderson strode in. "What is this, a tea party?" he asked.  
  
"More like a group refueling session," Yomiko smiled at Kitty fondly.  
  
"No news on identifying the body," Drake said as he filched some cookies, "but they have confirmed there's no trace of artificial accelerants in the remains."  
  
Joker frowned, "Not a pleasant thought." He looked up to where Drake stood, "Were there enough organic remains to test for DNA?"  
  
"Bone shards, there might be some marrow remaining," Drake shrugged, "but I think the tech boys are whistling in the dark."  
  
"At least we know that he burst into flames under his own power," Kitty mused.  
  
"Maybe not," Yomiko spoke up, "we have run into pyrokinetics before."  
  
Drake nodded in confirmation, "That was not fun."  
  
"Lovely," Kitty sighed, her words cut off by another yawn.  
  
"Time to go," Yomiko said firmly, getting to her feet and tugging Kitty up gently. "Kitty can use my couch again tonight," she said to Joker, "we'll check in tomorrow morning."  
  
"Good enough," Joker nodded, "we'll call if anything vital comes up."  
  
"Thank you sir," Yomiko beamed. Keeping a firm grip on Kitty's arm she dragged the mildly protesting American through the library complex and up to the surface.  
  
"I'm not that tired," Kitty complained.  
  
"You've had a long day, Kitty-san," Yomiko said firmly, flagging down a taxi for them, "let someone take care of you, all right?"  
  
Kitty flashed Yomiko a smile, "Thanks."  
  
They drove through traffic, the little taxi navigating through Tokyo to Yomiko's building. Kitty climbed out first, stopping to help Yomiko get her suitcase cart out of the tight back seat. They bounced up the book lined halls to Yomiko's rooms, going inside together.  
  
"I kept the couch clear for you," Yomiko beamed cheerfully. She unloaded more books from her suitcase, the dining table teetering slightly under the weight, then headed towards the kitchen. "I wonder if Nenene left me something again," she murmured.  
  
Kitty sighed softly, her thoughts once again turning to 'Ogun and Sinister. 'What are they doing here?' she wondered, 'Is it really just because of 'Ogun's search for a body, or is there something greater involved?'  
  
Outside the apartment, several buildings away, a brown haired woman stood atop a rooftop. She lowered her binoculars, hair blowing into her face as she raised a communication's device to her lips, "This is Amelia. It looks like the Cat and Paper are settling in for the night."  
  
"Return to base," the voice commanded, "with your poor night vision you won't be any further use there. We'll send out another to handle the night shift."  
  
"Understood," Amelia disconnected.  
  
The woman slid the device into a pouch in her vest, lined with many such pouches, then slid a simple set of aviator's goggles over her eyes. Amelia tilted her head back, a rustling noise heard as something slid from the concealment of her clothes. The great wings stretched out on either side of her, then with a single sweep she was in the air.  
  
"It's a beautiful city," Amelia murmured, then shook her head firmly. She had other, more important things to think about. She swept across the darkening skies, finally descending into a series of modern office buildings.  
  
"Welcome," the tall catgirl nodded as Amelia touched down beside her. She was elegantly beautiful, but oddly dangerous too.  
  
"Yukio," Amelia said as they went in the roof entrance and down the stairs into an advanced facility. The halls were lined with conduits carrying power and chemicals, modules spaced out for security purposes all along the way.  
  
"Have you had any luck tracing them back to their headquarters?" Yukio asked softly, her black fur blending her into the shadows.  
  
"No luck," Amelia shook her head grimly, "the two of them are far too good at using evasion tactics to protect themselves."  
  
"I'm looking forward to facing Pryde in battle," Yukio said, "my template failed against her, but my enhancements will allow me to win."  
  
"Don't get too full of yourself," Amelia cautioned as they stood at the doorway to the master's chambers, "Pryde and her allies are dangerous."  
  
"So am I," Yukio smiled, stalking away with her black tail swishing.  
  
The door slid open soundlessly and Amelia entered, taking in the figures around her. The samurai nodded to her, electricity arching, and she smiled, "Gennai."  
  
Gennai Hiraga smiled slightly, "The Master is tinkering with Fabre, I believe, but he should be done soon."  
  
Around them chemical filled tubes lined the walls, within them the incomplete forms of humanoid beings. Clones of some of the greatest historical beings, each one augmented and empowered in their own special way. Amelia frowned as she noticed a damaged body, the dark purple hair flowing around her face.  
  
"Is that Mukahari?" Amelia turned back to ask.  
  
"The Master seems to think there's potential there," Gennai shrugged.  
  
"Indeed," the smooth voice of their master cur across the conversation. Mr. Sinister's bone pale skin was shocking in the near dark, his sharpened teeth gleaming dangerously. Behind him another person followed, wearing a stylized red demon mask.  
  
She pulled off the red mask, her brown eyes flashing, the replica of Kitty Pryde looking furious. "How dare you place me in this shell?" she growled.  
  
"There was little choice 'Ogun," Sinister answered, "after you so foolishly expended the last form I gave you."  
  
If looks could kill, Sinister would have died then, 'Ogun fighting for self control. "How soon will the next body be ready?" she demanded.  
  
"Soon," Mr. Sinister said softly.  
  
To be continued.... 


	10. 10

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Ten  
  
Kitty stretched out, scratching the back of her head while dressed in her oversized T-shirt. It made a decent night-shirt, though she missed her normal things. Being careful not to wake up Yomiko she cautiously picked her way through the various piles of books before exiting out onto the roof of the building. She stood at the railing, gazing out at the city of Tokyo all around her.  
  
"You really should start wearing pajama bottoms," Kitty instantly recognized Nenene's voice as the young woman continued crossly, "I can see your panties."  
  
"And why are you looking at my panties?" Kitty teased as she looked back at the younger girl with a little smile.  
  
"Hey!" Nenene blushed furiously while Kitty chuckled.  
  
Nenene settled in beside her and Kitty noticed that she was carrying a napkin wrapped containiner. "Bringing Yomiko lunch?" she asked.  
  
Nenene blushed a bit more cutely as she said, "Yeah." They stood there a few moments, looking out at the city before Nenene said, "I'm sorry."  
  
Kitty looked over at Nenene curiously. "I didn't really think that the panties comment needed an apology," she said.  
  
"Not that," Nenene shook her head, "for how I acted when I first met you."  
  
"I've been known to be a bit cross when surprised, too," Kitty offered, getting a smile from Nenene in return.  
  
"Thanks," Nenene chuckled. She looked out at the city a few moments before suddenly asking, "What was your first kiss?"  
  
Kitty blinked, a bit startled by the rapid change in subject. "Peter, actually," she smiled a bit sadly thinking of Peter Rasputin, the Russian born member of the X-Men who had died to find a cure for the Legacy virus.  
  
"Yomiko was mine," Nenene admitted.  
  
Kitty looked at her in surprise, "You're kidding."  
  
Nenene chuckled softly. "I was working on one of my novels," she said with a smile, "busily typing away at school. Yomiko was a substitute teacher there, and came into the room right when I got stumped on the next bit."  
  
"Stumped on what?" Kitty prompted with a smile.  
  
"I hadn't been kissed before," Nenene said with a smile, "and I couldn't write what I hadn't done. Yomiko came in, I grabbed her and kissed her."  
  
Kitty shook her head with a smile, "That must have been fun."  
  
"Yomiko's a good kisser," Nenene blushed, "even when surprised."  
  
"If it helps any," Kitty looked over at the younger woman with a slight smile, "I kissed a girl once, too." A blush colored Kitty's cheeks as she continued, "My friend Rachel was listening to me complain about how average I was, and I guess she decided to make her point forcefully."  
  
"And did anything happen after the kiss?" Nenene asked her curiously.  
  
Kitty, if possible, went even redder as she said, "Not telling."  
  
"Good morning," the sleepy voice came from behind them. Yomiko's hair stood up in a few places, the teacher blinking at the two of them owlishly.  
  
"Good morning, sensei," Nenene said fondly  
  
Kitty found herself wondering how long Yomiko had been listening to her and Nenene as she smiled and said, "Morning."  
  
"You two are up early," Yomiko said cheerfully.  
  
"Or you're up late," Nenene said as she walked over to Yomiko. She sniffed the air, frowning, "When was the last time you had a bath?"  
  
"A day or so?" Yomiko blinked, clearly unsure about the exact date.  
  
Nenene rolled her eyes, "Guess you should visit the public baths, huh?" She hesitated, then looked over at Kitty, "Do you want to come?"  
  
Kitty smiled wryly, watching Nenene so effortlessly managing the older Yomiko. "If I wouldn't be in the way," she answered.  
  
"We'd love to have you along," Yomiko beamed.  
  
Kitty pushed herself off the railing, tugging her long T-shirt down once again. "Then we'd better get dressed," she smiled at the scruffy Yomiko, "who goes first?"  
  
"Come on sensei," Nenene gave Kitty a smile as she tugged Yomiko inside.  
  
A few minutes later Kitty took her turn, heading in to grab some clothes. Kitty picked up the phone, dialing up the Library to let them know that they were going out. Then she pulled the clean white shirt and a black skirt on, pulling her hair back in a ponytail.  
  
"You know," Yomiko noted as the three of them navigated through piles of books heading downstairs, "this is the first time I've seen you in a skirt."  
  
Kitty smiled and shrugged, "I try to be unexpected."  
  
Perched on a building not far from them Amelia watched through her binoculars as they left the building. "They're on the move," she reported into her headset, "destination unknown."  
  
"Follow," the calm voice replied, "but don't be seen."  
  
"Right," Amelia agreed.  
  
Amelia put the binoculars away in a compartment on her belt, her brown hair blowing around her face as she moved. She concentrated, focusing her will, then from her back great feathered wings unfurled, glistening wetly in the sunlight. She shook them, the brown feathers ruffled, then with a single sweep she was in the air.  
  
With eyes far better than a human's Amelia kept pace, soaring high above the three women. 'I wonder where they are going?' she thought, gliding along, an occassional beat of her wings tossing her a bit higher into the air.  
  
The three women entered a building, Amelia dropping down on a nearby building. "They've entered a building, a public bath," she reported.  
  
"You mean it appears to be a public bath," Yukio's voice came through, "we know this organization uses standard buildings as a cover."  
  
"If you want to go in there, catgirl," Amelia said dryly, "you're welcome to."  
  
"If you fold your wings in," Yukio bit out, "you can pass. Just go inside to check it out, if it is a bathhouse, leave!"  
  
Amelia sighed, "Right."  
  
Amelia stepped to the side of the building she tood on, gazing down into the alley until she saw it was clear. Wings outstretched she dropped into the alley, pulling her wings in with a soft groan. Hesitantly she walked into the building, nodding to the young woman behind the counter.  
  
"One, please," Amelia said, paying the fee with money she stored in her belt.  
  
"Go in through there," she nodded towards the girl's side as she said cheerfully, "you can undress in there. Have a nice bath."  
  
"Thank you," Amelia hesitantly entered. She could feel women's eyes on her as she disrobed, glad that she could buy a towel and other gear from a booth there. Wrapping a towel around her and covering up most of the scars that marked her back she headed in.  
  
"Brace yourself," Nenene said, pouring cold water over Yomiko to clear the soap off of her.  
  
"Eeek!" Yomiko squealed as the water hit her, almost diving to get into the hot baths as quickly as possible.  
  
"Watch the splashing," Kitty said, Nenene joining them a few moments later.  
  
'Of course it's a bathhouse,' Amelia thought as she strode by them, 'what else would it be?' She nearly spun around and left until a delicate hand on her arm stopped her.  
  
"Would you care to join us?" the redhead smiled, nodding to a tub nearby where a brown haired girl relaxed.  
  
'I would still be keeping an eye on them,' Amelia mused. She smiled, "I'd like that."  
  
To be continued... 


	11. Interlude: Madripoor 2003

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Interlude: Madripoor 2003  
  
"Drake-san! Drake-san," Yomiko Readman protested, running to keep up with him as they left the docks and carefully tucking a novel into her coat pocket, "I nearly dropped my book."  
  
Drake Anderson looked mildly pained, the blonde haired man taking off his stocking cap to run a hand through his hair. "Come on," he sighed, "we've got to meet are contact."  
  
Yomiko followed willingly, the black haired girl pulling her suitcase behind her while her overcoat fluttered in the breeze. "So where are we going, anyway?" she asked, the two navigating through the streets of Lowtown.  
  
"The Princess Bar," Drake answered, glaring down at a rat-like man who was about to try and pick his pocket until the man cautiously moved off. "We've got a local contact waiting there," he continued, "a fellow called Patch."  
  
"Patch?" Yomiko echoed as she looked up at him, squarish glasses gleaming in the sunlight, "Sounds like a pirate."  
  
"It's obviously an alias," Drake agreed, "he's part owner of the bar, been seen around Madripoor for the past several months. We don't have much more background information on him, so watch yourself around him."  
  
"Sure, Drake," Yomiko said cheerfully.  
  
Drake just sighed softly at that. The two reached the Princess Bar a few minutes later, a pretty good looking place despite the rough neighborhood all around it. He reached out to grab the door when it was suddenly slammed open from the inside, a man flying right past them and then hitting a nearby wall with a loud crash.  
  
"Wow," Yomiko blinked.  
  
Drake cautiously pulled the swinging door open, keeping Yomiko behind him as he lead the way inside. Various tables had been turned over, chairs scattered around the room as a crowd kept a safe distance. A shorter man was brushing his hands off, a cigar clenched between his teeth and a eyepatch covering his left eye.  
  
"Patch," the African man behind the bar shook his head, "you didn't have to throw him out of here that hard."  
  
Patch just smiled back, "Archie, he was abusing the working girls again." He shrugged as customers began to put tables back in order, "What was I supposed to do?"  
  
Archie grinned, "You just love a good fight, buddy."  
  
"Logan," Drake murmured the name to himself softly, then he shook himself, moving aside so that Yomiko could follow him inside.  
  
"Welcome to the Princess Bar," Archie noticed the two of them walking inside as he cheerfully continued, "the finest drinking establishment in Madripoor."  
  
"Or at least no one's willing to argue with us over the title," Patch said, studying the two of them thoughtfully, his gaze hesitating a moment on Drake.  
  
"So what can I get you two?" Archie asked.  
  
"Beer," Drake said, picking the least toxic drink he could think of.  
  
"Iced coffee," Yomiko ordered cheerfully. Everybody looked at her a moment and she blinked back owlishly, "What?"  
  
Archie just chuckled softly, drawing a beer first then rummaging around in a small freezer a bit until he found a can of iced coffee. "We don't get this ordered much," he explained ass he passed the drinks over to them.  
  
"Come on," Patch said, leading them over to a corner table that was slightly apart from the others, a bit more private. He took a generous drink of his beer before saying, "So you two were sent by that old kook, Gentleman?"  
  
"You know Mister Gentleman?" Yomiko blinked in surprise.  
  
"The problem is," Patch said as he took another pull of his drink, "the book that I was told you two are looking for is the hands of General Manh."  
  
"Which means?" Drake asked crisply.  
  
"The General is one of the two crime lords in the city," Patch was smiling slightly, "with a very dangerous bodyguard, Bloodscream."  
  
"Doesn't sound nice," Yomiko sipped her coffee.  
  
"That's an understatement," Patch agreed. He finished off his mug of beer, "A vampire with some pretty unique powers, he's pretty lethal."  
  
"Marvelous," Drake muttered under his breath, drinking more of his beer.  
  
Patch opened his mouth then stopped, noticing that Yomiko had pulled out a book and was cheerfully reading away while drinking iced coffee. He looked over at Drake and quietly asked, "Does she do that very often?"  
  
"You have no idea," Drake took another drink.  
  
"Good news is," Patch sat back, a smile on his face as he continued, "I'd love to see the General get embarrassed, so I'll give you a hand."  
  
"I appreciate it," Drake noticed that Yomiko was entirely engrossed in her novel before quietly adding, "Logan."  
  
Patch didn't seem too surprised as he smiled slightly, "Thought you recognized me." He tilted his head to the side, "You mind not telling your bosses?"  
  
"None of their business," Drake said dryly. He reached over to calmly pluck the book away from Yomiko, the girl following it until he tucked it behind his back.  
  
"Drake-san?" Yomiko looked up at him plaintively.  
  
"Patch here has agreed to help us out," Drake said to her firmly.  
  
"Oh, thank you," Yomiko beamed at Patch.  
  
Patch shook his head slightly, lighting another cigar. "You're going to need to break into Manh's headquarters," he said, "and raid his library. He's got good security systems and a lot of goons, so you're going to need a distraction.  
  
"And you're it," Drake smiled slightly.  
  
"But..." Yomiko actually looked worried as she looked at Patch.  
  
Patch grinned back at her, "Don't worry, kid. It'll be loud, but I won't be taking any risks." He paused, "Well, not too many."  
  
"That's comforting," Drake sighed as they bent their heads over the table, quickly sketching out the plan they were going to follow.  
  
BOOM! The walls of the high-rise shook, insulation falling from the ceiling on them as they raced down a hallway. "What's going on out there?" Yomiko wondered.  
  
"I think Patch and his friends are getting a bit carried away," Drake made a face.  
  
Patch had called in a few markers and gotten together a substantial force of men to launch an attack on Manh's headquarters. Most of them seemed to be in it for the pleasure of the battle, much like Logan himself, and they followed him eagerly. The halls were deserted, the majority of guards drawn out to the battle, Patch going toe to toe with the vampire Bloodscream himself.  
  
"Here it is," Drake said, kicking the door of the library open.  
  
"I wondered why the direct assault," the Asian man mused before pulling the trigger, firing across the room at Drake.  
  
Yomiko moved like a shot, a piece of paper thrust between Drake and the bullet. The slug struck, deforming against the paper to come to a dead halt. "Are you all right?" she asked Drake softly.  
  
"Fine," Drake had his own gun at the ready, carefully studying his foe. "General Manh, I take it?" he asked, ready to shoot him.  
  
"What do you want?" Manh asked coldly.  
  
"The Hellstrom chronicle," Yomiko spoke up, "the one your people stole from England."  
  
"That's all you want?" Manh narrowed his eyes a moment then went over to a bookshelf, one of four that lined the walls of the dimly lit room. He pulled the leather bound tome out and tossed it over, "Take it, and call the attack off."  
  
Drake caught it one handed the passed it to Yomiko, "This it?"  
  
Yomiko brought to book up to her nose, sniffing at the paper, then carefully licked the cloth of the binding. Her face seemed pale, almost chalky as she said, "It's the real thing, all right."  
  
"Nice doing business with you," Drake all but pushed Yomiko out into the hall, the two racing away even as they heard the man calling back his security forces. "It's going to be close," he muttered, running to the stairway.  
  
"No it wont," Yomiko stopped them at a window, throwing a sheet of paper to shatter the glass. "Climb out," she ordered, the sound of guards getting nearer.  
  
"You're not planning to...." Drake started.  
  
"Climb," Yomiko urged him.  
  
The two got out onto a shelf that curved around the building, barely standing as the winds buffeted them. Yomiko opened her suitcase, papers swirling around them as a figure was formed from the pure white sheets. With a sweep of powerful wings the paper bird carried the two of them up, then away from the building as those below looked on with awe.  
  
"Now that," Patch pulled a cigar from his battered shirt, his gaunt adversary Bloodscream looking up with a equally stunned look, "is impressive."  
  
To be continued....  
  
Authors Note: Patch and Madripoor are from the Wolverine comics, mostly back in the first twenty or so issues. I thought that if I was going to mix the ROD and X-Men universes I almost HAD to have the Library have a run-in with Logan eventually. 


	12. 12

Shadowcat: Read or Die! Part Twelve  
  
The slim blonde haired man studied the documents that were laid out before him on the messy desk, a frown on his delicately handsome face. There was a soft knock on the door and Joker looked up to call out, "Come in."  
  
Drake Anderson strode inside, the burly man closing the door behind him. His short blonde hair fell into his blue eyes, ones that were focused on Joker as he asked, "You wanted to see me?"  
  
'It was odd,' Joker noted, 'how such a large man could move so gracefully, not tipping any of the piles of books and papers around the cluttered office.' He set the sheets aside as he said, "I wanted to know what you thought of Miss Pryde."  
  
"You thinking of recruiting her?" Drake asked directly, his T-shirt and jeans making him stand out in the old English styled room.  
  
"Yes I am," Joker calmly admitted, "though I suppose it does depend on how this 'Ogun situation resolves itself."  
  
"I like her," Drake admitted, "but I'm not sure I trust her yet. She was the genetic basis for Nancy and we both know how untrustworthy she could be."  
  
"There is always the question of nature versus nurture," Joker quietly noted, "Nancy was raised, if you want to call it that, by Ikyu and the Ijin." He sighed, "Not at all under the same sort of conditions that Miss Pryde was."  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Drake obviously wasn't entirely convinced. He smiled slightly, "But I do think Pryde's been straight with us so far."  
  
Joker nodded. "Keep an eye on her, of course," he said as he tucked sheets of paper away, "but we will be considering making her the offer."  
  
"You got it," and with that Drake slipped out of the office.  
  
A few moments later there was a quiet knock and Wendy stuck her head in. "Did you talk to Drake about it?" the pretty blonde asked him curiously.  
  
"Yes," Joker smiled slightly as he continued dryly, "as I'm sure you know, having been pressing your ear to the door."  
  
"How could you tell...?" Wendy blurted.  
  
"The hair on one side of your head was flattened slightly," Joker shrugged casually. "And do you approve of Miss Pryde's addition to our ranks?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Wendy nodded, holding a set of files in front of her casually. "She works well with both Yomiko and Drake and she brings us unique skills and experiences."  
  
"The only thing that concerns me is Pryde's connections to the international intelligence community," Joker said with a frown as he tapped a document, "she's been involved with Britain's Weird Happenings Organization before."  
  
"What?" Wendy blinked.  
  
"No, W.H.O. ," Joker smiled slightly as Wendy groaned. "She's tangled with Black Air," he tapped a sheet, "and even joined SHIELD for a short time."  
  
"Something we could use to our advantage," Wendy offered optimistically.  
  
"That we could," Joker agreed. He slid the sheets together into a file labeled 'Pryde, Katherine' and passed it to her, "Could you put this back and get me some tea?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" Wendy beamed, spinning around to leave the room, nearly tripping over the doorway as she left.  
  
"She never changes," Joker shook his head with a smile as he returned to his work.  
  
"No, she doesn't," the older man's voice echoed in the chamber, filled with gentle amusement  
  
Joker didn't exactly jump but his eyes widened slightly as he looked up. "Mr. Gentleman," he said respectfully.  
  
"We may have a problem," Mr. Gentleman said, "something dangerous has turned up in my search for information on 'Ogun."  
  
"Yes?" Joker asked, his eyes narrowing again.  
  
"You may recall the attempt on my life over ten years ago," Gentleman continued, "the assassin whom escaped our best security. After reviewing the data Miss Pryde provided I feel certain that he was in fact 'Ogun."  
  
Joker sat back with a frown as he mused, "Then our own organization's involvement in this situation merely grows deeper. For our own honor as well as to find the answers to Nancy's existence we must stop 'Ogun and his allies."  
  
"Well isn't that just great," Drake muttered as the briefing concluded, leaning up against the back of a well stuffed chair.  
  
Yomiko Readman and Kitty Pryde sat in a couch nearby, the two young women sitting side by side. Kitty was wearing her new uniform, the simulated black leather clinging to the brown haired woman's slim body while Yomiko wore her overcoat over her typical school teachers clothes.  
  
Yomiko shook her head slightly as she murmured, "Well, 'Ogun certainly was busy."  
  
"Tell me about it," Kitty muttered before continuing, "I keep forgetting how old he's supposed to be, how long he's been operating."  
  
"Not that it changes our current situation much," Drake reminded them, "it just gives us one more reason to take him down."  
  
"There is one piece of good news," Joker said smoothly, turning the screen in front of the group, "we've had some luck tracing the original Nancy's movements and tentatively concluded that she first appeared here in Japan."  
  
"So Sinister-san is here in Japan?" Yomiko offered the question quietly.  
  
"Let's not jump to that conclusion just yet," Kitty said softly, "we just know that he has a operational base here, but it's pretty likely." She looked thoughtful as she looked up at Joker, "What sort of sources of information do you have in Japan?"  
  
"Fairly wide ranging, why?" Joker looked curious.  
  
"I have some contacts in the Japanese underworld," Kitty said frankly, "with 'Ogun's long history as an assassin they might know something."  
  
Drake raised an eyebrow as he smiled down at Kitty, "You certainly have some unusual friends for a university student."  
  
Kitty shrugged eloquently, "Not that unusual for an X-man, though."  
  
"Just like the detective in the novel I just read," Yomiko gushed. Her eyes brightened and she asked, "Can I come along?"  
  
"It might be dangerous," Kitty quickly cautioned, "and least one of the people I mean to talk to is not a nice man."  
  
"All the more reason to have back-up," Drake offered, clearly interested in coming along.  
  
Kitty looked at the both of them and shook her head with a smile as she said, "As long as Joker doesn't mind, all right."  
  
"May I ask whom you intend to go see?" Joker asked.  
  
"An old ally named Yukio," Kitty said, "she's a self-styled ronin and adventurer who's helped the X-Men in the past, she might be able to help. Then I guess we'll go see the Yashada family."  
  
"The Yashada family?" Drake actually looked mildly startled, "They're not connected to the underworld, they run much of it."  
  
"Especially with their current leader, the Silver Samurai," Kitty said with a tight little smile, "but I think I know which buttons to push to get answers from him."  
  
Joker nodded slightly, "I rather doubt we could get information from such sources normally." He looked at the three, "You have permission, but please be careful."  
  
Kitty looked over at the beaming Yomiko and the not much less eager Drake and smiled wryly. "I'll try to keep an eye on them," she said as she got up.  
  
"Kitty," Yomiko scolded as the two ladies got up.  
  
"More like I'll be keeping an eye on you two," Drake commented as they headed out.  
  
"You wish," Kitty grinned.  
  
To be continued....  
  
Author's Notes: Kitty did indeed join the international spy organization SHIELD in a three issue miniseries and ran into the Weird Happenings Organization often in the series Excalibur. Later the covert organization Black Air was introduced, leading to more spy activities by Kitty. 


	13. 13

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Thirteen

"This is not the sort of place that I'd expect you to go," Drake Anderson remarked mildly as they stood at the door of what could only generously be called a dive.

The bar was in the middle of a bad part of town, the occasional drunk still sleeping away a night of hard drinking in corners and alleys. The sign above the door was a bit battered, the place giving an overall sense of disrepair. In the afternoon sun it looked like the sort of place that you probably wouldn't admit visiting to your friends.

"Not my style," Kitty agreed, the black leather clad young woman giving him a smile, "but it is the sort of place Yukio might hang out."

Yomiko didn't comment, busy reading some of the adult business cards stuck in the seams around a phone booth nearby. "That's interesting," the blushing woman shook her head, her brown hair swinging as she turned back to feel Kitty and Drake's amused looks on her. "What?" she asked, pushing up her glasses.

"Never mind," Drake shook his head with a sigh. "Shall we go in?" the muscular blonde haired man said with a wry smile.

From the concealment of a nearby rooftop a woman dressed in old fashioned clothes watched, her short brown hair fluttering around her. "This is Amelia," she softly said into the small communications device that she carried, "it looks like they're about to enter one of your template's usual haunts."

Soft swearing came from the other end. "I'm heading out there," she said firmly, "I'm not skulking around them any longer."

"But our orders are...," Amelia started.

"Our orders be damned," she answered, "I want my shot at Pryde!" With that the link was cut off with a squeal of static.

"Lovely," Amelia muttered, her brown wings swiftly stretching out from her back. She glided carefully down to street level, intent on keeping an eye on them until her associate arrived.

Kitty pushed the door open, the scent of cigarette smoke wafting past as they went in. Everyone in the bar turned to look at them, the men and women cautiously watching them enter. They paced by occupied tables, a pool game going on in the back. There was a soft sound, steel sliding on steel in the near silence and the three stopped.

"I really wouldn't recommend doing that," Kitty said conversationally, "or you'll be eating for the rest of your life with the other hand."

A long moment of silence and they could hear the knife being slipped away. "Not bad," Drake remarked mildly.

"Logan taught me everything I know," Kitty answered.

"Got that right," a amused woman's voice called out. She was perched on a stool by the bar, the slim woman wearing a leather jacket and long black pants. She moved across the bar with catlike grace, looking Kitty and her allies over, "Friends of yours, Kitten?"

"Yukio," Kitty smiled back at her cautiously, "it's been awhile." She waved to her companions, "I'd like you to meet Drake and Yomiko."

"Hello," Yomiko beamed.

Yukio ignored that as she gave the two a thoughtful look, a mysterious little smile teasing her lips. She casually reached over to stroke the false leather that made up Kitty's outfit as she purred, "Nice costume, but it isn't quite your style."

Yomiko stiffened, eyes narrowing as she saw Yukio so casually stroking Kitty's shoulder. "Easy," Drake murmured, holding her back.

Yukio saw that and removed her hand, murmuring, "Well, isn't that interesting." She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Kitty, "I kind of doubt this is a social call."

"I need some information," Kitty confessed.

"Then let's go to my office," Yukio chuckled, leading them across the bar with a swing of her hips. The table was over in a corner, secluded from the rest of the bar and shielded from direct line of sight. "Grab a seat," she waved them to sit.

Yomiko sat beside Kitty to block Yukio, bringing a soft chuckle from the other woman. Her humor seemed to fade away as Kitty quietly explained some of the details of 'Ogun's survival, leaving out any details about the Library.

"Damn," Yukio muttered, sitting back casually in her chair. She drank some of her mug of beer, looking over at them thoughtfully. "I haven't heard anything about him," she conceded, "though I did have a odd job recently."

"Oh?" Drake raised an eyebrow.

"It was supposed to be a standard in and out operation," Yukio related, "but there was some weirdness related to it." She chuckled, "The guy wanted a blood sample, for some reason." There was a long beat of silence as she asked them, "What?"

Kitty and Yomiko exchanged a look, silently asking who was going to tell her. With a tired sigh Drake took it out of their hands as he said, "If this is who we think it is, he may be doing some... dangerous stuff with that blood sample."

Yukio sighed, "This is more of that X-Men related stuff, then?" She looked at Drake with an oddly predatory look, "And who's he, 'Buff' man?"

"No, but he is married," Drake answered gruffly.

"Pity," Yukio sighed. With that she calmly began to relate details of her supposed 'in and out' job, including who hired her and the item she was to steal.

"Amelia Earheart's clothes?" Kitty blinked, looking thoughtful.

"It does fit the pattern," Yomiko quietly noted, "there were several great figures of history we faced previously."

A figure entered the bar and Yukio smoothly slipped from her seat, pausing only to run a hand across Drake's broad shoulders. "Business," she nodded to the woman who had walked in, "but if you need my help, contact me."

"Thanks," Kitty nodded as the three of them moved off towards the entrance, talking so that others couldn't easily hear.

"She seemed oddly familiar with you," Yomiko frowned at Kitty then looked over at Drake, "but why was she so... with him?"

"My rugged good looks?" Drake offered with a slight smile as they left the bar, finding the alley beyond oddly deserted.

Kitty chuckled softly, "That, and she's supposed to be bisexual." Yomiko gave her an odd look and Kitty shrugged, "Logan probably was more than friends with her and a female friend of mine is awfully... cagey about talking about her time with Yukio."

"Wow," Yomiko was blushing furiously.

"Hsssss!" It leapt out from the shadows before any of them could react, a slim figure that was sheathed head to toe in midnight black fur. Claws flashed in the sunlight as she attacked, moving with inhuman speed and agility.

"Ahh!" Kitty's cheek blossomed red as three streaks appeared, phasing fast enough to evade the second blow. They stood still a second and Kitty reached up to wipe away the blood on her face. "Yukio?" she asked.

She straightened up, smiling so that fangs gleamed slightly between her lips. In the light she looked almost human,. black fur coating a decadently naked body. Her eyes glowed golden, but her most inhuman feature was the long black cat's tail that lashed against the back of her legs.

"It'll do for a name," she smiled, Yukio-cat almost purring as she said, "but I'm so much more than that human." Her eyes narrowed, "Or you, Pryde!"

Yukio-cat leapt but this time Kitty was ready, blocking her attack smoothly. They fought back and forth in the dim alley, moves from many martial arts being used against each other. Yukio-cat had the advantage in speed and agility but Kitty refused to give any ground, taking the occasional hit to lash out at her opponent.

"Let me help...," Yomiko started.

"No," Kitty blocked a blow with her forearm, "don't interfere!"

Suddenly gunfire rang out, Yukio-cat leaping away nervously. The woman stood in the mouth of the alley, her brown wings stretched out, pistols from nearly fifty years ago in each of her hands. "We'll have to settle this some other time," Amelia kept her guns on the three as she continued, "it's time to go, Yukio!"

"Let me finish this, damn you," Yukio hissed at Amelia.

"We're under orders," Amelia kept a wary eye on Kitty and the others as she said firmly, "I'll force you to go with me if I have to."

"All right, damn you," Yukio-cat ran at Amelia as the woman rose into the air. She leap, catching Amelia's hand as the two woman smoothly rose into the air. "This isn't over, Pryde," she yelled as they disappeared behind a building.

Drake had his gun out, searching for a target as soon as they took off, a few shots ringing out without much success. "Damn," he scowled and lowered his arms before looking to where Yomiko was fussing over Kitty.

"Looks like Sinister didn't stop with just the Ijin," Yomiko noted softly. She pulled a cloth from her pocket to dab gently at Kitty's cuts as she asked, "Do you think that was Amelia Earheart?"

"We'd better contact the Library," Kitty blushed as Yomiko's faint scent washed over her, "Joker is going to want to know about this."

To be continued...


	14. 14

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Fourteen

"Sir?" Wendy tentatively asked as she entered the office, the little blonde haired woman looking around curiously.

"Here," Joker's voice rang out, and Wendy realized he was hidden at his desk, concealed behind books and various pieces of paper.

"A new field report from Kitty and the others," Wendy reported excitedly, "they've encountered two new Ijin."

Joker stood up, gazing at her intensely, "Who are they?"

"Amelia Earheart," Wendy read, "the famous lost pilot. She's apparently been augmented with biological wings."

"And the other?" Joker frowned.

"Yukio," she checked her notes before Wendy continued, "a martial artist who apparently has been changed into a cat-woman."

"Interesting," Joker murmured, "it seems to fit the trend I've noticed with the Ijin."

"Huh?" Wendy blinked.

"It seems he may have borrowed more than our Ms. Pryde's DNA," Joker mused, "the powers he gave Gennai Hiraga resemble the criminal Electro's, Amelia's wings may well be borrowed from the X-Man Archangel and so on."

"Does that mean we'll end up facing even more superhuman Ijin?" Wendy had to ask.

Joker smiled grimly, "I suspect so."

In another part of Tokyo the three figures stepped out of the black limo, Drake leading the way as he looked around warily. "Is this sort of thing really necessary?" the tall blonde haired man asked, tugging at his tailored suit.

"If we want to be taken seriously, yes," Kitty answered, the brown haired young woman dressed in woman's business wear.

"But why am I dressed like this?" Yomiko asked, her red dress tight and slinky. She pushed her hair back then adjusted her glasses nervously.

"You're my companion," Kitty explained a bit sheepishly, "so you need to look the part."

"So this Silver Samurai, he's..." Yomiko asked.

Surprisingly, Drake spoke up, "Kenuichio Harada, the bastard son of the former head of the clan Yashida, Shingen Harada." He paused, "Not a nice guy, I understand."

"But he is an honorable one," Kitty added, "he's studied Bushido and the way of the samurai all his life." She smiled wryly, "But he's also running a crime family."

"So why would he help us?" Yomiko asked.

"He owes a debt to a friend of mine," Kitty answered simply.

The three headed towards the buildings, each feeling the unseen eyes resting on them. "This place has some high security," Drake softly murmured as they passed through the outer gates of the ancestral Yashida castle.

"The Yashida's were once very big in organized crime under Lord Shingen," Kitty quietly replied as they moved down a stone walkway through a garden, "and his heir has strengthened those ties considerably."

"Didn't Mariko Yashida try to break those ties?" Drake recalled.

"And was killed by the Hand for the attempt," Kitty said bleakly.

The room they were led into was large, the Silver Samurai waiting for them on the mats by a tea set. A young woman dressed in traditional kimono prepared the tea before smoothly rising, leaving them with the intense looking older man. Divested of his mask and armor Kenuichio Harada still had a powerful presence, almost an aura of dangerousness about him, black hair neatly styled and muscular body under traditional robes.

"Welcome," Harada nodded respectfully, "I was most surprised to have you request a meeting, Pryde-san."

Kitty folded her legs under her smoothly as she knelt, noting that Drake and Yomiko both sat slightly behind her, the blonde haired man looking like the perfect bodyguard. 'I'm glad Yomiko isn't pulling a book out,' she thought. Looking at Harada she said, "Thank you for seeing me so promptly."

Harada just nodded slightly, "A guest is always welcome."

'He's not going to ask me why I came, even though his curiosity must be killing him,' Kitty thought. "I'm sorry that a matter of some urgency has brought me here," Kitty started, "one that relates to your father's former business."

"Indeed," Harada smiled slightly. They both knew that he was carrying on the family business, but neither would state it directly. "How can I help?" he asked.

"There is a certain figure in the underworld," Kitty started, "an assassin named 'Ogun...."

"He is dead, is he not?" Harada's eyes narrowed slightly as he added coldly, "Slain by Wolverine, I understand."

"Apparently being dead hasn't stopped him," Kitty explained.

"There were stories 'Ogun was a demon," Harada looked at Kitty thoughtfully, "is there really some truth to that?"

"He doesn't seem to want to rest easy in his grave," Kitty answered. Leaving out certain details like the Library's role she roughly sketched in the information on the Ijin appearances and how they seemed to relate to 'Ogun's return.

"Hmm," Harada sat there for a moment, studying the three of them thoughtfully. "I don't know much," he finally admitted, "but I can tell you some things. First, whomever is creating these Ijin must be using a very sophisticated lab, and therefore must have purchased some very rare equipment just to keep it operating."

"We've already attempted to track such equipment sales," Kitty answered him calmly, "but so far, no dice."

"I have certain contacts you likely don't," Harada said dryly. He paused, "There were certain rumors that circulated after the first Ijin appearance, that a powerful foreign organization had in truth been responsible for their creation."

Kitty leaned forward slightly, "Do you know the identity of this organization?"

"Not precisely," Harada confessed, "but the general belief was they were British."

Kitty felt a moment of shock, but kept it from showing on her face. "If you could contact me if you find out anything," she half bowed, "I'd be deeply appreciative."

"I'll contact you," Harada's servant took a copy of Kitty's cellphone number even as he continued, "please let your mentor know I sent my regards."

"Of course," Kitty bowed again, then the three left the buildings to return to the limo.

"I know what you're thinking, Kitty-san," Yomiko spoke up once they got under way, "and it's just not possible."

Kitty had a frown on her face, "Oh? It fits a lot of the information we have so far. The Ijin started out as a British Library project before being taken over by Sinister and 'Ogun, then twisted to fit their own purposes."

"Even Joker wouldn't pull something like that," Drake protested.

"I haven't known Joker long," Kitty answered him coldly, "but I could see him doing what he had to, if it was absolutely necessary."

"Kitty..." Yomiko started.

"Harada is a yakuza," Drake said with a scowl, "a known criminal. Are you really going to believe anything he says?"

Kitty held up a hand, "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to do anything without solid proof, all this information means is that I'll be a lot more careful around Joker and Mr. Gentleman."

"And us?" Yomiko asked softly.

Kitty met those eyes behind the glasses, eyes that she knew she could trust. She gave both of them a smile, "I trust you."

To be continued....


	15. 15

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Fifteen

The room was dark as the brown haired figure waited, eyes closed and seemingly at peace with the world. Black sheathed her from head to toe, black pants, shirt, boots and gloves, even a mask covering her face.

Without moving she softly ordered, "Begin."

Nancy Mukahari, or at least a very good copy, raced from the darkness, machine gun blazing, but the woman disappeared. The purple haired woman looked around wildly only to stiffen as the shuriken stabbed into her body without warning. She scrambled to pull free the blades but the poison was too powerful, her body going sluggish then finally still.

Not waiting for a signal Gennai Hiraga raced forward, the energy blade glowing in his hands. Black hair tied back he moved gracefully, attacking without warning but the lady was too fast for him. Stepping forward unexpectedly she jabbed into his throat, blood spraying even as the warrior dropped to the ground, choking. A swift strike into his electrical backpack then leaping away and the room was lit up with an violent explosion.

A crash and the grasshopper tore through the wall, the older man piloting it looking faintly amused. Insect pincers snapped shut where she had been standing but she rolled clear, tossing a wave of throwing blades and shedding green blood onto the floor. Fabre cried out angrily only to be cut off as a throwing star plunged right into his eye. His body split like a cocoon, a different form emerging but she was ready, striking him down again and again.

Mr. Sinister emerged from the shadows, white skin almost glowing in the darkness as he clapped his hands softly. "Are you satisfied?" he asked curiously, eyes glowing a faint red.

The woman pulled her mask off, her brown hair falling around her shoulders as the clone of Katherine Pryde smiled in unholy satisfaction. "This shell may very well do," the martial artist known as 'Ogun finally said.

"I do wish you hadn't had to kill the three clones," Mr. Sinister frowned slightly, "it takes so long to grow new ones."

"I needed a real test," 'Ogun replied, "to be sure what I could and couldn't do." She smiled coldly, "And I think I'm ready for the task ahead of me."

Mr. Sinister smiled, but there was nothing at all pleasant in the expression. "To acquire the remaining genetic information the Library holds," he purred, "and to kill Gentleman."

In another part of the city Kitty Pryde yawned tiredly, stretching out on the lumpy couch as the morning sun came in the windows of Yomiko Readman's book strewn apartment. Last night had been a busy one, shaking down informants from both Kitty and Drake's contacts, but they hadn't made much more progress on tracking the Ijin.

"So you're still here?" the faintly amused voice asked.

Looking over the back of the couch Kitty saw Nenene Sumerigawa quietly making her way through the piles of books that nearly littered the room. She set down a bag lunch with a post-it note on it reminding Yomiko to eat, then smiled at Kitty wryly. The younger girl had intelligence in those eyes, along with a bit of understandable wariness.

"Good morning," Kitty answered quietly, aware that Yomiko was still sleeping. She got up, glad that the oversized T-shirt she had on as a nightie covered everything, and followed the girl out onto the roof. It was a cloudy day, but still comfortable enough for her to be partially undressed.

"Morning," Nenene looked at her with a wry smile. "You're a morning person," she noted, "unlike Yomiko-sensei."

Kitty chuckled to herself softly in agreement. Yomiko really didn't handle mornings very well, usually needing several minutes just to get her brain working properly, not to mention dealing with other people. Staying here the past few days Kitty had quickly learned just to leave Yomiko alone until she finished waking up.

"I suppose so," Kitty conceded, "though it looks like you have that quality, too."

Nenene shook her head, "Not exactly, I just make sure to finish waking up before I come over here to Yomiko's."

"Yomiko's a lucky woman to have someone like you around to help take care of her," Kitty said honestly.

Nenene actually blushed faintly, looking out over the city around them. "And what do you think of Yomiko?" she asked softly.

Kitty felt her cheeks color faintly and had to fight to control her emotions. "I like her a lot," she conceded, "I think we could become good friends."

"That's not what I meant," Nenene gave her a scolding look.

'I didn't think that would work,' Kitty thought wryly. "I'm not in love with her, if that's what you're asking," she said firmly.

"Good," Nenene murmured.

'But I could get there,' Kitty added silently, 'very, very easily.'

"Why do I seem to find you two out here all the time?" Yomiko asked. They turned around to see her blinking at them owlishly, still looking half asleep. She absent-mindedly clutched one of her many books in her hand, oddly reminding Kitty of someone holding a teddy bear.

"Because we wanted to talk and were trying not to wake you," Kitty said with a fond smile, wondering if Yomiko realized how cute she looked in her rumpled dress, bits of her hair standing up from how she had slept.

"Ah," Yomiko nodded, swaying slightly.

Nenene took charge almost automatically, stepping forward to take Yomiko's arm. "Come on Sensei," she said as she led the older woman inside, "let's get you dressed."

"Right," Yomiko said with sleepy good-naturedness.

Kitty had to smile as she looked out over the rooftops, trying not to indicate that she knew they were being watched. The person was based on a rooftop quite a few buildings away, and as far as Kitty could tell they were professional, using the building's structures to stay out of direct line of sight. If there hadn't been a flash of light off glass, she didn't think she would have spotted them.

'So are they Ijin,' Kitty wondered, 'or from one of the intelligence agencies? Or even a representative of the Library, keeping an eye on Yomiko and I?'

"Kitty-san," Nenene called out from inside a few moments later, "tea's on."

"Coming," Kitty answered as she turned to walk inside, making a mental note to tell the Library about the surveillance, just in case.

Nenene had sat Yomiko sitting down on the book cluttered bed, a cup of tea in front of her while a similar cup waited for Kitty by the couch. "Kitty-san," a much more wakeful Yomiko beamed, "did you want to get changed?"

"Nah," Kitty sat on the couch, grabbing a pair of hastily discarded pants and swiftly pulling them on. "So what's on the schedule for today?" she asked.

"I have a substitute teaching job scheduled," Yomiko answered her apologetically, "so I guess you're on your own."

"Then I guess I'll check in with our friends," Kitty took a drink of her tea, "and see if I ca find something to read at the library."

Nenene gave Yomiko a fond look as she wryly remarked, "I hope you're not into books as much as sensei is."

Kitty had to smile, "I don't think anyone is into books as much as Yomiko is."

"Hey!" Yomiko protested cutely.

Out on the rooftops two figures watched the apartment, using the shadows and the fixtures on the roof to conceal their presence. Amelia frowned, brown hair falling into her matching eyes as she said, "I'm beginning to wonder if following them is a waste of time."

Yukio-cat smiled, her black fur giving her a sleek kind of beauty, "Patience, I still think this is our best chance to find the Library." She looked over at Amelia thoughtfully, "You seem somewhat more skittish, today."

Amelia's face was grim as she sighed, "You know what 'Ogun has done?"

Something flickered in Yukio-cat's eyes, a flash of something like fear. "Yes," she said coldly.

"I know that we're just clones," Amelia said to her seriously, "and that we're disposable, but still..." The tall woman shook her head, "Our fellows shouldn't have to been slaughtered merely for 'Ogun's practice."

"We serve as needed," Yukio said seriously. She looked at Amelia curiously, "And what do you think you could do about it, anyway?"

"I don't know," Amelia answered honestly, her pilot's gear flapping gently in the breeze, "but I'm beginning to think we should at least do something."

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Sixteen

Much later that day Amelia crouched low on a rooftop, her brown hair blowing around her face as she watched through her binoculars as Kitty left another of the district's many bookstores, holding a book in her had. She entered the press of traffic, moving through the crowds... but didn't emerge from the other side.

'What?' Amelia felt a moment of panic that she quickly quelled. Sweeping the crowd and the area beyond she tried to reacquire her target, but after a few moments realized that she had been given the slip. 'I'm going to have to report this,' Amelia thought glumly.

"Yes?" Yukio-cat answered after a second.

"I've lost Pryde," Amelia confessed reluctantly, "she gave me the slip."

There was a harsh curse and then Yukio continued on, "Do you know how badly you've just screwed up? Pryde and Readman are our best shot at finding the secret headquarters of the Great British Library!"

Amelia felt a flash of anger, "Don't you think I know that!" She forced herself to calm down, "What do I do know?"

Yukio considered a moment, "Come back to base, we'll have to try picking up Pryde at the apartment or Readman at her job and hope one of them slips."

"Understood," Amelia sighed, signing off. She moved out of line of sight of the street and let her wings unfurl from her back, flowing out from under her aviator's gear to stretch out to the sun. A single beat of her wings sent her up, then another sent her off...

... unaware that something had been gently tossed onto her back.

Kitty Pryde grinned, crouching down as she watched the other woman rise off, hopefully towards the Ijin headquarters. The tracking device the dark brown haired girl had tossed onto Amelia's back was powerful but hopefully hard to detect.

'It looks like Drake's plan might just work,' Kitty admitted, thinking back to her visit to the library earlier that day.

The Library facility was concealed, obviously, beneath another library, but it was because of that obvious element that people didn't seem to catch on. Not to mention the fact that few people really knew about the Library's existence or believed the few rumors floating around.

"Hey Kitty," one of the researchers called out a greeting as she exited the hidden lift then David continued, "I got the information you asked for about Nancy's European movements."

"Thanks," Kitty smiled back, "add it to Nancy's file so I can review it later." She ran a hand through her hair, "Is Joker or Drake Anderson in?"

"Both, I think," he agreed. David tapped a few brass knobbed controls on the oddly archaic computer that he used, "Drake is down at the targeting range and Joker is in his office."

"I'd best see Joker first," Kitty noted, "thanks."

Wendy was typing away as Kitty reached the outer office, the blonde looking up to smile at Kitty. "Welcome Miss Pryde," she beamed, "I wasn't expecting you today."

'Could someone like this really be involved with the creation of the Ijin?' Kitty wondered, reflecting on something the Silver Samurai had claimed.

"Did you want to see Mr. Joker?" Wendy continued cheerfully.

"Yes, please," Kitty nodded, "and Drake, too." She added, "There may be a new development with the Ijin situation."

Wendy spoke softly into the intercom on her desk then looked up at Kitty, "Go right in."

Joker smiled as he looked up from a desk covered by paperwork and books of various types, "Good afternoon, Miss Pryde."

Kitty smiled back at the handsome blonde, dressed in a fine suit that was just a bit dusty with the leavings of books. "Joker, it's good of you to see me so soon," she continued without pausing, "is the Library having me tailed?"

If Joker was surprised by the question he didn't show it, "No, we aren't." He raised an eyebrow, "Are you being followed?"

"I got lucky and spotted my tail this morning," Kitty nodded seriously. She leaned forward, "Is the Library being monitored by anyone else?"

"Our rivals the Literary Mystic Society tend to sniff around," Joker acknowledged, "but we keep a good track of their agents."

"Which leaves one very interesting possibility," Kitty smiled grimly.

"You wanted to see me, Joker?" Drake Anderson barged inside a moment later, the burly blonde man nodding to Kitty respectfully.

"Miss Pryde called, actually," Joker sounded amused.

"It looks like the Ijin may be tailing me, Yomiko and possibly Drake," Kitty explained, "now we need to decide what to do about it."

"I'm being tailed?" Drake blinked.

"You and Yomiko helped thwart the Ijin last time," Kitty shrugged, "it seems reasonable to assume that the current organization knows who you are, at least."

"Hmph," Drake frowned, but seemed unable to argue.

"You're assuming that Mr. Sinister had the ability to monitor our first battle with the Ijin," Joker frowned.

"Sinister has access to very advanced technology," Kitty said with a shrug, "I wouldn't put it past him."

"So why hasn't Sinister-san been able to find the Library?" Wendy asked, carrying a tray with tea and biscuits inside.

Even as Kitty casually prevented Wendy from falling and spilling everything Joker spoke up, "It may be that Mr. Gentleman has a means to prevent that."

"Anyway," Kitty firmly got them all back on track, "I spotted my tail this morning, but whoever it is, it's a professional. The only reason I've caught a few glimpses since then has been because I've been looking hard."

"We could use this to our advantage," Drake said thoughtfully.

"How so?" Wendy looked at him curiously.

"First thing we could do would be to capture the tail and pump him," Drake began.

"Or her," Kitty reminded him.

"Or her for information," Drake finished.

"It's a possibility," Joker conceded, "but I suspect that Sinister would have prevented too much information reaching his troops."

"The other option would be to follow him or her back to their hideout," Drake offered.

"Use their own agent against them," Wendy blurted excitedly.

"It has possibilities," Joker conceded thoughtfully.

Kitty nodded, "Let's see if we can figure out how to do this..."

'Which brings me back to now,' Kitty mused from her place on the rooftop. She touched a microphone at her throat, "Drake, you getting the signal from the tracer?"

"Loud and clear," Drake answered gruffly, "looks like the tech boys got it right."

"Let's hope that it'll cut through any interference around Sinister's headquarters," Kitty said, sounding mildly pessimistic.

"It'll work," Drake said firmly. His voice took on an amused quality, "Wendy's off to get Yomiko out of her substitute job, in case this does pay off."

Kitty chuckled, "Hope Yomiko isn't too annoyed by that!"

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Seventeen

"Eeep," Yomiko managed as she was bodily hauled out of the school buildings towards the unmarked van. "But I was reading to the class," the black haired young woman protested, her square framed glasses gleaming.

"It's an emergency," Wendy said firmly, the smaller woman tugging her forward firmly. "You've got extra paper in your suitcase?" the blonde asked as she slid the van door open, Yomiko climbing into the back seat.

"Hai." Yomiko agreed, belting herself into a seat nervously. "What's going on?" she asked curiously even as Wendy revved the engine and pulled out into the street.

In almost the opposite of her usual clumsy style Wendy drove quite well, weaving them through traffic easily. "Kitty and Drake had a brainstorm," she explained, "and came up with a plan to track a Ijin back home to their base."

"And find this Sinister-san," Yomiko nodded, her expression serious.

"Exactly," Wendy agreed as they pulled in front of a office building at least partially owned by the Library. Hopping out she lead Yomiko inside and to the elevators, the two reaching the top floor in a few moments then taking the stairs to the roof.

The black helicopter waited there on the pad, rotors spinning rapidly. Kitty Pryde waited by the open door, the brow haired girl grinning as she said, "What took you so long?"

Yomiko smiled back, pushing up her glasses as she said cheerfully, "I wanted to finish reading the chapter to my class."

Drake laughed as he checked over the 'copter's controls, a headset relaying information from the Library to him. "Why am I not surprised," the burly blonde haired man murmured, tapping a monitor on the main panel, a blip glowing from where the tracking device had stopped.

"Good hunting, all of you," Wendy said, stepping back even as Kitty helped Yomiko climb on board. "We'll have a tactical team ready to move out on your signal," she added, "but you'll be our primary team."

"Got it," Kitty slid the door shut and with barely a lurch the 'copter rose into the sky.

Without seemingly thinking about it Yomiko got out a paperback and began to read, a happy smile on her face. "She doesn't change," Drake murmured to Kitty fondly.

"No, I guess not," Kitty said as they rose above the city, moving towards where the signaling device sent out it's beacon. "This almost reminds me of an X-Men caper," she added, "but we usually have more people on our side."

"The Library likes quiet ops whenever possible," Drake said, "smaller teams tend to help us pull that off." He flashed a grin, "And we like quality, not quantity."

"Why did I know you were going to add that?" Kitty joked. She peered out as they swept across the city, "So what do we do once we get to the base?"

Drake shrugged, "We really don't know what we're getting into, Pryde. I figure we're going to have to drop in them improvise."

"Really sounds like the X-Men," Kitty muttered.

"Really, Kitty-san?" Yomiko asked, peering at her over her book.

Drake tapped the monitor then looked out the window at the surroundings. "It looks like we're here," he said quietly.

"Just a regular office building?" Kitty blinked, looking at the smaller, older building. Only six floors tall, a bit shabby looking, it almost looked like it had bee abandoned by it's landlords.

"Appearances can be deceiving," Yomiko gently reminded her, "you remember the ''Purloined Letter?"

"Think we can sneak in?" Drake asked, looking around for a place to land nearby.

"Worth a try," Kitty said, "but I sort of doubt it."

They finally descended to a nearby street, Drake bringing the 'copter down on to the thankfully mostly deserted road. Ignoring horn honks he helped the two women out as he asked, "You figure this place to have good security?"

"Considering the sort of technology Sinister has, I'd bet on it," Kitty said. They ran towards a nearby building, peering at the offices then headed to a alley running behind it.

"So how do you want to get inside?" Yomiko asked, calmly dragging her suitcase behind her on it's wheeled carrier.

"Well, a shaped plastique charge might do it," Drake murmured, laying a hand on the brick wall thoughtfully.

"I think I have a quieter idea," Kitty said to them quickly. She offered one hand to Yomiko and the other to Drake, "Just hold on."

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Drake blinked, taking her hand trustingly.

Yomiko took Kitty's hand, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I'm ready," she said softly.

Kitty focused her concentration, a faint tingling sensation washed over all three of them. Together they walked through the wall, passing through brick, plaster then metal and allow before emerging into a internal hallway.

"Well," Kitty blinked as she looked around them, "this doesn't look like an office building."

The hall was dim, pipes and conduits running along the roof and walls. Cables hummed with power, digital readouts mounted on junction points spaced out in the hall. A odd scent of ozone and chemicals, iron and alloy hung in the air, along with a disquieting sense of something dangerous hanging in the still air.

Drake shook off his surprise, always a professional. He pulled a portable version of the tracer and noted, "Amelia is above us, according to this."

"But do we go after her or...?" Yomiko asked.

Kitty stalked over to one of the junctions,. studying it intently for a few moments then softly asked Drake, "Did you bring that laptop I asked for along?"

Drake pulled a laptop from his backpack, passing the slim computer over to Kitty. "It's configured as you asked," he added.

"Thanks," Kitty took the computer and pulled a connection cable, plugging in and accessing internal systems. "I've had a bit of experience with similar systems," she noted absentmindedly, "I should be able to..."

Yomiko was careful not to interrupt, having seen people like Nenene and others work with that same sort of intensity. Instead she covertly studied Kitty's face, surprised to see yet another side to this attractive young woman.

"Mind on the job," Drake reminded Yomiko gently, "you can drool over her later."

"Drake-san!" Yomiko protested softly, but Drake just smiled impishly.

"All right," Kitty said, "I've got internal schematics." She brought the map up on her monitor, pointing out details, "The living quarters are up top, there's only two people there apparently." Her hand slid to several red highlighted sections down below street level, "As you can guess all the cloning labs are down there."

"So where do we go first?" Yomiko asked.

"The Ijin can wait," Drake said firmly, "we need to hit the cloning labs first. That was we stop more Ijin from even being made."

"Not to mention stopping them from creating 'Ogun clones," Kitty added. She smiled wryly, "I was going to suggest the labs anyway, but I have a more personal bias."

"You want to know if Nancy-san came from here," Yomiko observed.

Kitty disconnected, rolling up the cable but keeping the laptop out, map prominently displayed. "That and have a little talk with Sinister," Kitty said as they headed towards where an elevator was on the map, "about why he did it."

"Talk as in punch someone in the head?" Drake asked. When Kitty nodded grimly he added, "Be glad to help out with that."

"Me, too," Yomiko agreed, reaching out to take Kitty's free hand again.

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Eighteen

Kitty, Drake and Yomiko left the junction behind as they cautiously used the map Kitty had downloaded to make their way downstairs. The tunnels they hurried through were dark, lit only by low level lighting, and the walls were lined by an almost unearthly technology.

"Wonder where the hell he got the technology to do this?" Drake Anderson mused, the tall blonde man stopping the others as he checked around a corner. Satisfied the coast was clear he waved them on, following with his gun at the ready.

Kitty Pryde walked beside Yomiko, occasionally reaching out gently to steady the other woman as they hurried towards the elevators. "According to some friends of mine Sinister's been around a pretty long time," the brown haired girl revealed, "maybe more than a hundred years. With that much time building up exotic technologies wouldn't be that hard."

"Incredible," Yomiko Readman murmured as they finally reached the elevators, the black haired young woman hitting the call switch.

Drake kept a wary eye out as the elevator arrived, doors opening with a soft chime. Gennai Hiraga looked out at them, the black haired samurai's eyes widening as he blurted, "You?"

Kitty didn't even think about it, lunging forward to phase herself through him and his electric battery backpack. There was a flare of light as her abilities disrupted the device, then a stunned cry as Gennai convulsed, electricity shorting out his body and dropping him to the floor, unconscious.

"Damn," Drake blurted, "I never even had a chance to shoot!"

"Sorry," Kitty said, frowning as she realized an electrical bolt had hit the elevator's control panel, "I figured it would be best to hit him before he had a chance to zap us." She pressed the down button once or twice then shook her head, "It's shorted out, too."

"We can always try the stairs," Yomiko sighed.

A few minutes later the three of them were running down the stairs, all around them the sound of pipes rattling and the scent of ozone hanging in the air. "So this Sinister... how can we hurt him?" Drake asked.

"Directly?" Kitty raised an eyebrow as they turned a corner and continued on down, "Not very easily. He used an artificial body the first time the X-men fought him that could take anything they could dish out."

"And my power over paper?" Yomiko asked, pushing up her glasses when they threatened to slide right off her nose.

"From things the X-men found out later Sinister had been spying on them for years... it's probably how he built a body to protect himself from their powers," Kitty said, "I doubt that he's had the time to build a body to defend himself from you."

"Makes me wish I brought that rocket launcher along with me," Drake softly muttered. He smiled slightly as they reached the bottom, "I guess I get the job of keeping any of the other Ijin clones off of your backs?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kitty agreed.

"Should I..." Yomiko reached for the door handle.

Drake gently reached out to stop her as he said, "No, let me." Carefully he opened up the door and scanned the room just beyond, silently looking inside for a moment. "You two should see this," he said softly.

Kitty and Yomiko followed him inside, only to freeze in surprise. Massive tubes filled with green fluid bubbled along the walls of the chamber, and each of those eight foot tall tubes contained a figure floating inside. Some of them were familiar, others not, but it was the nearest figure that drew Kitty's eyes... because it was her.

The Kitty that floated in the tube looked a little younger, her brown hair flowing around her face in the fluid, a breathing tube connected to her mouth. The nails of her hands gleamed silver, razor sharp claws, and a faint trace work of white scars across her nude form indicated that other surgical modifications had been made.

"Did he build this... thing for 'Ogun, maybe?" Kitty asked softly, reaching out to touch the warm glass.

"Kitty," Yomiko placed a comforting hand on her shoulder,

"There's dozens of chambers," Drake noted as he quickly checked around the room, "several Ijin we know and a couple I don't recognize." He hesitated, looking at one tube not far away, "Yomiko, you wanted to know if Sinister created Nancy?"

Both Kitty and Yomiko headed over, gazing in surprise at the figure in awe. "Nancy," Yomiko breathed out, looking at the floating form of Nancy Mukahari.

The similarities between her and Kitty outweighed the few differences, like the black hair and larger bust, and it was like looking into a distorted mirror. "It's eerie," Kitty blinked.

Drake kept a wary eye out as he asked them, "So what do you want to do?"

"My first impulse is to trash the place," Kitty admitted, "Yomiko?"

Yomiko looked at the copy of the woman she once loved, and then looked towards Kitty with an oddly searching look. Whatever she was looking for she seemed to find in Kitty's eyes as she turned to Drake and said, "Destroy it."

With easy efficiency Drake pulled the explosives from his backpack and planted them around the chamber and on the tubes before leading the two women out of the room. They went up a floor before Drake took out the remote, "Ready?"

"Do it," Kitty nodded and Drake pushed the switch.

Ka-THOOM!

The entire building felt like it bucked, plaster falling from the roof around them as alarms finally sounded off in the distance. "Drake-san," Yomiko managed as Kitty helped hold the off-balance young woman up, "I think you might have overdone it a bit."

"I like to be thorough," Drake shrugged as they headed back up the stairs. "So are we heading up after Sinister, 'Ogun and the surviving Ijin?" he asked.

"If they were smart they'd have bolted at the first alarm," Kitty puffed, "but I'm hoping that destroying his cloning lab will piss Sinister off enough that he's not thinking clearly."

"You really want to get him, don't you?" Yomiko asked as they made it to the main floor.

Kitty flipped open the laptop, scrolling through the data that she had downloaded earlier in hopes of finding another elevator, in the process giving everyone a chance to catch their breaths. "Yes, I do," she admitted, "I feel oddly violated, knowing how he created copies of me."

"I'm sorry," Yomiko murmured, resting a hand on Kitty's arm.

"Thanks," Kitty smiled at her. She looked up at Drake as she continued, "There's another elevator, but it's on the other side of this floor."

"I don't want to climb stairs all the way up," Drake said with a tired shrug, "so let's go try out the other elevator."

The main floor was open to the public so it was more normal looking than the other parts of the building, but there was still an odd feel to it. "Where are the security guards?" Yomiko asked, wincing a bit as they ran by a wailing alarm.

"Considering all of Sinister's secrets, would you trust having normal security guards around?" Kitty asked wryly.

"True," Yomiko conceded.

"Which means we'll be facing Ijin guards instead," Drake noted. They came around a corner and spotted the elevators as he added, "You mind if I call the elevator this time? Maybe this time we can avoid shorting it out."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," Kitty protested as Yomiko chuckled softly.

Drake hit the switch and in a few moments the elevator arrived, the doors sliding open to reveal a figure standing there. Amelia's brown hair flowed over her back as the aviator smiled grimly, her wings folded back to fit into the small cube.

"I'll cover you," Drake brought his gun up, "try to drop her..."

"Stop," Amelia held up her hands in the universal gesture of surrender as she quietly said, "we want to talk."

"We?" Yomiko looked around in confusion.

"Yukio," Kitty looked up instinctively to where the catgirl clung to the ceiling by her claws.

Gracefully Yukio disengaged, dropping down beside Amelia then standing casually. "Yes," she said simply, "we want to talk."

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Nineteen

Amelia and Yukio ran down the hall together, reaching the elevator in moments. "What do you want to do?" Amelia asked as they entered.

"We may have been created by Sinister," Yukio said as the catgirl followed her in, "but he obviously regards us as disposable." She grimaced, thinking of how he had allowed 'Ogun to slaughter their fellow Ijin, "We don't owe him anything."

"But are Pryde and her friends any better?" Amelia asked worriedly.

"They can't be much worse," Yukio said dryly. They came to a stop, not on the floor they planned and without a word she leapt up to the ceiling, ready to ambush any possible foe.

As the doors slid open they revealed several figures standing there in the hallway. Drake Anderson towered over Kitty and Yomiko, all three of the Library agents looking almost as surprised as Amelia felt.

"I'll cover you," Drake brought his gun up, "try to drop her..."

"Stop," Amelia held up her hands in the universal gesture of surrender as she quietly said, "we want to talk."

"We?" Yomiko looked around in confusion.

"Yukio," Kitty looked up instinctively to where the catgirl clung to the ceiling by her claws.

Gracefully Yukio disengaged, dropping down beside Amelia then standing casually. "Yes," she said simply, "we want to talk."

"So talk," Drake kept his gun on them both.

Amelia nodded slightly in respect. "Sinister has proven he's no friend of ours," she said calmly, "in fact I'm sure he intends to dispose of us when our usefulness is done."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Kitty conceded that, "he probably figures he can clone you again if needed." Still there was a dangerous twinkle to her eyes as she said that, as if she was amused by a private joke.

"We want to help you stop Sinister and 'Ogun," Yukio said simply, "in exchange for asylum with the British Library."

"Drake-san?" Yomiko looked up at him curiously.

"How can we trust you?" Drake asked bluntly.

"We haven't tried to attack you," Amelia said mildly, "or sounded an alarm that you're in here." She tilted her head, listening to sirens wail off in the distance, "Though it sounds like you did that all on your own."

"Where's Sinister?" Kitty asked them softly.

"Top floor penthouse," Yukio said promptly, "with 'Ogun. They were planning how to assault the Library buildings, once Amelia and I tailed you and found out where it is."

"I think I believe them," Yomiko murmured softly after a moment.

"Kitty?" Drake asked.

"We could use the help," Kitty conceded as she studied the two women thoughtfully, "and they're taking a hell of a risk just approaching us, really. I say trust them for now."

Drake put his gun away, nodding, "All right, let's go." The group quickly squeezed back into the elevator and headed up, "Tight fit."

"We'll manage," Yomiko blushed, pressed close to Kitty.

Amelia looked sheepish, knowing that her unfurled wings were taking up most of the room in the cube, "Sorry."

"Nice muscles," Yukio purred as she ran a hand over Drake's chest, "are you doing to be busy after we're done?"

"Yes," Drake firmly removed her hand, "besides which, I'm married."

"Aww," Yukio pouted.

Kitty concentrated very hard on not noticing how pleasant it felt as her chest rubbed against Yomiko's. "Anyone got a plan?" she asked.

"I thought you guys did," Amelia sighed.

"Drake-san?" Yomiko asked optimistically.

"Nope," Drake admitted. A pause, "Watch the hands."

Yukio removed her hand with a sigh, "You're no fun."

"Then I guess we do this the X-men way," Kitty said, "and make it up as we go along." She smiled grimly, "Let me take the first shot at Sinister, the rest of you follow up."

"I'll go for 'Ogun," Yukio offered with a dangerous smile, "he'll be a challenge."

The elevator doors opened and the five burst into the room, spreading out instinctively. The drawing room looked like something from a century ago, decorated in wood and fine cloth, beautiful in a very archaic way. Standing by a table Mr. Sinister was a striking figure in ebony, white and red, like some marble statue come to life while 'Ogun looked deceptively harmless, a near twin of Kitty Pryde dressed all in blood red.

"You captured them..." Sinister started then his eyes narrowed slightly as he realized what was going on. "You dare betray me?" he purred.

Yukio moved as fast as a cat, leaping at 'Ogun as her claws raked across her face. But 'Ogun was faster, dodging gracefully as they went to it, nearly dancing as they fought around the room.

Kitty ignored them, trusting that Yukio could hold her own as she ran right at Mr. Sinister, the others close behind. Without a word she leapt, phasing herself right through Sinister's body and bringing forth a painfully surprised cry.

Drake fired his pistol, bullets digging into the surprised villains flesh, then he reloaded and opened up again. "I thought the file you gave us said he was invulnerable?" Drake grinned.

"Damn you," Sinister howled in pain, "let me go, Pryde!"

Kitty kept her phased hand through his chest, shifting vibration rates as she did. "His body is artificial," she grit her teeth at the strain of keeping up with his body's advanced technology, "my phasing power can disrupt it!"

Yomiko tossed razor sharp, steel hard sheets of paper, slicing deep into writhing artificial flesh and disrupting his system even more. "Kitty," she cried worriedly as she threw another strike in, "are you going to be all right?"

"Worry about her later," Amelia yelled as she raced in, swiping claw like hands across Sinister's face, blinding him then hammering at him with her wings.

Drake raced forward, pulling the pin from a small device them shoving it right into the wildly morphing flesh of Sinister's chest. "Get clear," Drake ordered them before running as far away from him as he could get.

Kitty phased free, restoring the pain wracked Sinister to solidness once more as the group ran to the far side of the room. Sinister clawed at his chest, trying to get at the device buried in his chest, then his face went utterly still as he whispered "Oh no."

BOOOM!

Bits of Sinister went flying around the room as the explosive charge Drake planted inside of him went off, leaving only a smoking hole in the floor and carpet where he had been standing. "Do you think we killed him?" Drake asked quietly.

"He can jump his mind into new bodies," Kitty said as they got up from behind a couch they had used for cover, "but with his lab bellow destroyed I doubt he has another body near enough to cause us any more problems."

"Ahh!" Yukio howled in pain as she was hammered into a wall, slumping unconscious as they whirled, readying for the next fight.

"Well done," 'Ogun smiled at them dangerously, her teeth like fangs, "I had planed to eliminate him soon anyway."

"Are you going to try to kill Gentleman now?" Drake asked as he leveled his gun on the ninja, watching her warily.

"No, I don't think so," 'Ogun shook her head, "that was more Sinister's wish." She smiled, "I'm more interested in avenging myself on Logan... and sweet Kitty Pryde here."

"No way," Yomiko said firmly, her paper blades ready to throw as she stood in front of Kitty protectively.

Drake took the safety off his pistol again as he stood beside her, "Seconded."

Kitty put her hands on both of their shoulders, smiling slightly. "Thanks guys, but this is personal between me and him," she said, moving forward to take up a fighting stance.

"I can do anything you can do Pryde," 'Ogun purred, then silvery blades extended from her fingers, "and I've been enhanced by Sinister."

Kitty smiled back, "And I've had a few years to train since we last fought for real." She gestured 'Ogun towards her, "Let's go."

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Twenty

"Yukio!" Amelia cried, racing to the fallen catgirl's side. Kneeling down beside her she was glad to feel a pulse in her neck, the black furred woman merely stunned by 'Ogun's strike.

"Keep it down, would you?" Yukio groaned as her eyes fluttered open. After a moment memory rushed back and she sat up, yelping in pain as she growled, "Where's 'Ogun!"

"Pryde's handling him," Amelia said, her brown hair and wings making it a bit awkward to help the other woman up.

"Oh boy," Yukio blinked, watching the fight in awe.

With near superhuman speed 'Ogun slashed at Kitty, finger-blades extended but Kitty dodged gracefully, kicking out even as she leapt. The red clad 'Ogun grinned, phasing clear then pulled her claws back, taking up a simple combat pose.

Kitty took up a matching pose, circling as she studied the blood red clad woman thoughtfully. "So how did you hook up with someone like Sinister?" she asked her curiously.

"That pup Sabertooth," 'Ogun smiled slightly, "I sought him out as a possible host but he was hopelessly unfit. Still, while rummaging through his memory I learned of Sinister and his clones."

Kitty circled warily, studying her dark twin. "Why me, exactly?" She frowned, "I'd think trying to clone Logan would be better."

'Ogun laughed, leaping for her again. Swiftly Kitty parried the shot on her forearm, wincing in pain as the muscles spasmed under the strike, then barely dodging the follow up attack to her head. Like a cat 'Ogun landed smoothly then lashed out with a side kick, slamming Kitty back.

"Because from my perspective you have the greater potential," 'Ogun purred with a dangerous smile, "there was always a limit on how far I could push Logan. You soaked up all I could give you and more..."

"Gee, thanks," Kitty took up her stance again, wincing a little as she wondered if 'Ogun had broken one of her ribs.

Over to the side of the room Yomiko visibly fretted, her long brown hair flowing over her shoulders as she clutched thick sheets of paper in a white knuckled grip. "Drake," she said softly, "we've got to help her!"

Firmly Drake shook his head, "No, not until Pryde decides to ask."

"But she's hurt," Yomiko protested.

"And this is personal between them," Drake said seriously. He paused a moment, "But if 'Ogun seriously looks like she's going to kill her, I'm stepping in."

Yomiko broke into a smile, "Me too."

"You people are nuts, you know that?" Amelia bitched as she carried Yukio over, her wings pulled back in for the moment.

"It's a matter of honor between Prude and 'Ogun," Yukio pointed out mildly. A pause, "And you can put me down now."

"Then you're nuts, too," Amelia growled. She held Yukio closer, if that was possible, "And I will not put you down, you're hurt."

Yukio sighed, "Okay, whatever."

Kitty felt oddly excited as they fought, the younger woman beginning to draw on all her training over the years... and she had picked up a lot of it, fighting against danger room drones, teammates and beside various allies. She swiftly switched styles and tactics, pulling on a variety of martial arts and using them in unpredictable combinations.

'Ogun seemed to enjoy the fight more and more, her brown hair flowing as she moved with inhuman grace. Everything that Kitty threw at her she handled easily, a grin stretching across her face as she threw new variations at Kitty. Back and forth they fought, each trying to gain an advantage, but surprisingly they were evenly matched.

"I haven't enjoyed something this much in years," 'Ogun purred, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "my faith in you has more than been rewarded."

"Oh?" Kitty raised her fists calmly.

"Will you not take what I once offered?" 'Ogun offered a open hand, "You would know immortality as your spirit is joined with mine."

"You don't make a very good Darth Vader, 'Ogun," Kitty said with amusement.

It took a moment for 'Ogun to get the reference, then she began to laugh. "True enough," she conceded, chuckling softly.

"I won't give in to you 'Ogun," Kitty's voice was soft in the near silence of the room, "I'd rather die first."

"Maybe, but the only way you'll stop me is to kill me Pryde," 'Ogun said softly, lowering her arms to meet Kitty's eyes, "are you willing to do that?"

"Let's find out," Kitty moved like a shot.

'Ogun jerked back as she dodged a strike to the face, then Kitty dropped into a crouch. With well toned muscles she leapt up and over the martial artist, Kitty dropping behind 'Ogun gracefully. She spun around and grabbed 'Ogun by the head, pausing only a second.

"I'm sorry," Kitty said softly. With a sudden bunching of muscles Kitty jerked her arms and 'Ogun's neck broke with a sickening crack, Kitty's mirror twin falling into a boneless heap to the ground at her feet.

"Oh my god..." Yomiko murmured weakly.

From the body of Kitty's clone a red mist arose, congealing in a moment to form a dignified Asian man, dressed in red ninja garb. 'Ogun looked amused as his voice echoed in their minds, "This isn't over between us, Pryde. I will have you, someday..." With that he seemed to disperse, swirling away into nothingness.

"They always have to get in the last word," Drake muttered.

Kitty tiredly walked over to the others, her eyes haunted and body slumped with exhaustion. "Is everyone all right?" she asked tiredly.

"We're fine," Yomiko took Kitty's hands as she said worriedly, "you?"

"No, not after doing something like that," Kitty said with a sigh.

"If anyone deserved it, it was 'Ogun," Yukio pointed out.

"So what now?" Amelia asked pointedly.

Drake flipped open his cellphone and dialed, "Joker?" A pause, "Yes, everyone's all right. We've taken the facility and 'Ogun and Sinister are dead, at least temporarily."

"Well?" Yukio asked as he hung up.

Drake shrugged, "We've got a team coming out to secure the building and recover any useful materials. Joker and Mr. Gentleman will want us back for debriefing, too."

"Any chance of us seeing a doctor first?" Kitty visibly winced as she held a hand to her side, feeling her ribs shift a bit.

"Us, too," Amelia said pointedly.

"Lets get the helicopter and head back," Yomiko said as she held Kitty's arm, the group heading out together.

Kitty quickly grabbed her laptop from where they had dropped their gear, "Better bring this with us, too. I found some encrypted files while I was rooting around in Sinister's mainframe, they might have some answers for us."

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21 Final

Shadowcat: Read or Die!

Part Twenty-one: Origins and Endings

Several days later Kitty waited until Wendy left the tea and biscuits, studying her companions thoughtfully. "When we first met Mr. Gentleman called me a detective," Kitty Pryde said as she stood in the ornate office, "but what I really am at heart is a scientist. I develop theories, devise experiments and collect data before coming to my conclusions."

"And what conclusions have you come to?" Joker asked, the blonde haired Englishman standing by Mr. Gentleman's desk. The three of them were the only ones in the room, Mr. Gentleman in his wheelchair, Joker and Kitty standing calmly in front of the desk.

"That the Library were the creators of the original Ijin," Kitty said simply.

"Preposterous." Joker answered promptly.

Mr. Gentleman looked at Kitty thoughtfully, the ornate eyepatch he wore glittering slightly. "And how did you come to this conclusion?" he asked.

"It began with my interview with Kenuichio Harada, the Silver Samurai," Kitty said, "he revealed that it was whispered that a foreign power was responsible for the creation of the Ijin, a British organization."

Kitty began to pace, warming to her topic, "Of course that doesn't mean much, especially coming from him. He is a crime lord, after all, so I wasn't prepared to take his word as gospel. However, it did make a plausible theory."

"Almost as soon as I heard about the original Ijin I wondered where they came from, and more importantly why they were made. The scheme to devastate the population seemed.. out of character for one of Sinister's projects or any of the other villains I know of who possess cloning technology," Kitty noted.

"Such as Miles Warren, Sinister, Stryfe and Apocolypse," Joker noted, his stance casual.

"Exactly," Kitty agreed.

"So the Ijin were created by a new player in the cloning game," Mr. Gentleman nodded thoughtfully.

"I kept it in the back of my mind as we investigated the 'Ogun and Sinister alliance, but I didn't find real hard evidence until our raid on Sinister's headquarters," Kitty revealed.

"Oh?" Joker raised a eyebrow.

"I did a partial download of his private files while I was getting internal maps of the facility," Kitty explained, "they were encrypted, but I managed to break the codes with some programs a friend of mine devised."

"What did those files say?" Mr. Gentleman asked.

"Mr. Sinister slipped into the program early, using his ability to shapeshift to pass as a normal lab tech," Kitty revealed. She looked at Joker, "Using the name Mr. Carpenter Joker founded the cloning project, the purpose of which was to create a hybrid clone of unusual capacity."

Joker ran a hand through his hair, his shoulders tense as he puffed out a sigh. "To try to house Mr. Gentleman's essence," he finally confirmed.

"It's true, then?" Mr. Gentleman frowned, "You were involved in this?"

"Yes, sir," Joker bowed slightly, "I'm sorry I didn't inform you, but I wanted to maintain plausible deniability for the library at large."

"I am..." Mr. Gentleman seemed to be searching for words, "most displeased. Did it not occur to you that I didn't want to continue on in another body? I've had a good run, and all things must come to an end eventually."

"Are you dying, sir?" Kitty had to ask.

"Age catches up to me," Gentleman casually waved it off. He gave Joker a furious look and demanded, "Well?"

"I'm sorry sir," was all that Joker could find to say.

As Kitty stood there she felt her ribs aching, bruises on top of bruises making her body pulse painfully. Walking over she slumped into a soft chair even as she asked, "So what now?"

"Joker?" Gentleman asked.

"Our end of the cloning project was shut down not long after we found out about Sinister's activities," Joker said, "the surviving clones will be monitored and watched over, but other than that we have no intention of interfering with their lives."

"Fair enough," Kitty sighed.

"What do you intend to do with the information you have, Miss Pryde?" Gentleman asked her curiously.

Kitty thought about it for a moment, weighing her impressions of the two men versus her instincts. "I'm going to give you the laptop," she said, "but I'm keeping copies of the data in a safe place. If I hear so much of a hint that you are starting up this project again, I'll take whatever steps I feel are necessary."

"Thank you," Joker said with a relieved sigh.

"Don't," Kitty suddenly gave him a furious look, "the only reason I'm not taking you out right now is that Yomiko still believes in you."

Mr. Gentleman picked up his cup of tea, taking a drink. "This may not be the best moment to ask you this," he said to her wryly, "but I was wondering if you might be interested in joining the Great British Library?"

Kitty looked at him in disbelief, "You're kidding me."

"The Library protects the world from many threats, if ones of a more esoteric nature than the X-Men," Gentleman said. He smiled faintly, "You seem to fit in quite well, and this would give you an opportunity to keep an eye on Joker, too."

"Sir!" Joker protested.

Kitty levered herself up, swaying a bit then steadying herself. "I'll consider it," she said, "that's all I can promise right now."

"Thank you for that," Mr. Gentleman nodded as she left.

Yomiko looked up happily as Kitty walked up to the couches that she and Drake were waiting on. She practically jumped to her feet then looked at Kitty worriedly, "Are you all right?"

"Just sore," Kitty said, reaching out unconsciously to take Yomiko's hand.

"So what did you have to see Joker and Gentleman for?" Drake asked curiously, standing beside them to look down at Kitty fondly.

"Just clearing up some final details of the case," Kitty said with a slight smile. She grinned, "So how are Amelia and Yukio?"

Yomiko laughed softly, "Well, we have agents keeping an eye on them, but otherwise they seem to be doing well."

"I'm glad," Kitty admitted as Yomiko guided her to a seat beside her, "I liked them, oddly."

"Me, too," Drake conceded. He flashed a grin, "I understand Joker's considering offering them jobs once they get run through all the tests."

"They'd be good at it," Kitty nodded, "and it'd be a waste of their talents to let them go."

Yomiko squeezed Kitty's hand gently as she softly said, "Rumors say that you've been offered the chance to join, too."

"Gee, I wonder where you heard that from," Kitty gave Drake a look, noting how he was trying to appear as innocent as possible.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Drake smiled.

"Well?" Yomiko asked, looking into Kitty's eyes intently, appearing just a little worried.

Kitty met those eyes as her thoughts raced. 'I may not trust Joker but the rest of them... they're good people,' she admitted. "Yes." she smiled at Yomiko, "I'm staying."

"I'm glad," then Yomiko bent forward, gently brushing Kitty's lips with her.

Kitty blushed, feeling Drake's amused gaze on her, but she returned the kiss gently. "I'm not sure..." she started to say.

"It's all right," Yomiko smiled, "we have time."

End

Notes: I never planned on this going quite as long as it did, but I'm happy with it overall. The connection between Nancy and Kitty seemed a no brainer to me, as did the probable romance between Kitty and Yomiko. This is set between the end of the OVA and the ROD TV series, combined with my own imagination of course. Obviously I wanted to wrap up the key plot points but it's set up to continue if I feel like it, but for now this is the end.


End file.
